Glass Rose
by Espionage247
Summary: Amy thought she'd one day be with Sonic. Shadow thought he was over his past. One journey, a journal, and a Glass Rose will change their lives-and their hearts-forever. Not Sonamy vs Shadamy! Shadamy story with bits of Sonsal/Sonally. Complete!
1. An Unexpected Reunion

**Chapter 1: An Unexpected Reunion**

The breeze was whispering in her ear as she looked up at the sky and used her hand to block the rays of the mid-day sun. Its voice wasn't any bit dramatic or loving as she had wished, but lonely, grief-stricken, and so, so sad.

"He's gone... he's never coming back..." It murmured, tormenting and haunting her in every way possible as she growled to herself. Though she didn't want to accept it, she knew for a fact that he was gone. Yet no matter how deeply rooted reality was ingrained in her heart, she always found herself looking towards the sky in the hope he'd come down and make it be known that he was okay. A hug, a quick hi, maybe even a smile in her direction, anything would have sufficed. Nonetheless, despite her quiet pleas, she knew that she would never be able to even hear his voice again.

It had been so long… since Sonic died.

Amy sighed as she looked down, feeling as if the weight of the world had been dropped on her shoulders. Although she knew that he had been dead for a total of two weeks, it never occurred to her how real his death truly was. She had grown so accustomed to Sonic defying all odds and saving the day that she simply couldn't comprehend the situation. Never returning with a bruise or a scar as a souvenir, he could mutilate Eggman's entire operations without even having to take a breath from exhaust. He was like the Superman of Mobius, invincible and unstoppable, always taking the win... except for that one time. That one stupid time.

He had died for her. For Sally. By saving her life, he had lost his own, and that in and of itself had shattered Amy's heart. The physical image of seeing him impaled was utterly horrifying all by itself, not to mention seeing him cry for the first time. But the fact that he had been willing to go so far to save someone was absolutely heart-breaking, because it just went to show that sometimes, your best wasn't good enough. And unfortunately, that had been the case for Sonic.

Slowly, Amy gazed at the world surrounding her, blinking a few times to readjust her vision. Although Station Square looked very nice at that moment, she wished something exciting would happen. Sure, it was lively in the park on that bright spring day, but it was nowhere near as adventurous as all the exciting action she was used to sharing with her friends. How long had it been since she had last seen Cream and Cheese? A month? Maybe even two?

Sighing yet again, Amy adjusted her headband. Cream was probably off with Tails again, and all of her other friends were probably busy or out of reach. Growling, the girl began to blame her loneliness and sadness on the fact that she was a teenager, as melodramatic as it sounded. Didn't hormones just make everything seem suckier, anyways?

Amy Rose was fourteen years old, a full-grown teen, and no longer a simple child who was unable to defend herself. Over the years, her skills with her Piko Piko Hammer had improved exponentially, almost by so much that she never had the slightest problem with fighting off creeps. She had grown several inches over the years, now taller than all of her gal pals, and her hair had grown out to the point where it barely passed her shoulders.

In addition, after several weeks of thoughtful reflection almost a full year ago, the girl had decided to no longer wear her red dress and matching headband, but rather sport a cheerful ensemble of pink and yellow. The headband she chose was a casual shade of canary yellow, and her V-neck mini dress a pink that was just a shade darker than she was. She wore tight yellow shorts along with it (which made running easier and MUCH less embarrassing) and a pair of bright pink converse sneakers that almost reached her knees. Amy Rose had changed so much over the years... and yet it seemed as if nothing about her really had.

It felt like only yesterday that she had been chasing her hero. She could remember the rush of the wind and the sun's heat beating down on her like it was trying to keep her away, as if it was doing everything it could to stop her from catching him. How did he do it? How did he defy all the elements and never stop running? It was something beyond confusion that brought the exhaustion that led to her to stop running that day. And indeed, that had been the last time she had seen him before...

_No,_ she thought, _don't think about it. You'll just end up crying._ But it had almost been too late, for her emerald eyes had started sparkling with tears the moment her mind started to wander off.

Why did he have to go like that? Why did he have to leave before she could tell him how much she cared for him? Why did it always have to end like this? She always had to suffer through heartache and pain when it came to Sonic. It just wasn't fair... but oh, she would have done anything to see him again. She would give up her entire being, her whole soul, just to see him one more time. Walking over to the park bench she had been sitting on and getting off of constantly, Amy sat down once more, pulled her knees up to her chest, and began to cry quietly. It just wasn't fair...

Suddenly, without a single word of warning, Amy felt a rush of wind flash past her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she threw her head up head, shock filling her body at the same time. What was that? Had it been...? No, it just couldn't be, she had to be imagining it. There was no possible way that he could still be alive, much less there in Station Square. It wasn't possible, it simply wasn't even probable! For goodness sakes, Sonic had died! Despite the voice in her head that was screaming at her to not do so, Amy couldn't help herself from hoping.

Jumping off the bench, the girl began to look around fervently and search for any sign of him. She couldn't have just imagined that rush of wind, could she? She couldn't have just hallucinated something like that, right? Just as she was about to throw in the towel and call it quits, Amy saw him. It was a small glimpse, granted, for she barely spotted him out of the corner of her eye, but it was enough to get her heart pumping. With a curiosity that lit up like the sun rising from a cold and bitter night, Amy went after him.

Running as fast as possible, she dashed off in the direction she thought she saw him go. She ran, ran, ran, hoping to see his smile, hear his voice, anything to prove to her that he wasn't gone. That she wasn't crazy. Panting, she pushed her legs faster and faster, looking ahead in a frantic hope that he was still there. But no, she had already lost any sight of him, if he had actually been there in the first place. Had she really been hallucinating? Had it been a day-dream? No, it couldn't have been. There was no way that—

Moving at full speed and not looking in the direction she was going, Amy had no time to come to a complete halt before she crashed into someone. "OOF!" Amy squealed, taking the other person down with her in the process. "AGH!"

There was a split second of pain when she collided with the sidewalk, just a flare of ache that ended as soon as if had started, but it was enough to make Amy stay down as the embarrassment seeped in. "Great. I just mauled a random person over. Nice..." She growled as she sat up. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—" She stopped the moment her eyes settled upon him.

Sitting on the sidewalk and rubbing his head was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog himself, his blue color serving as a siren of joy to the pink hedgehog, his emerald green eyes shimmering in the daylight. Disbelief began to set in as he moaned, "Ow... man, you know how to make a guy hurt, huh?" He stood up, brushed himself off, and reached his hand out to her. "Need help?"

Her mouth hung wide open in shock. He... he was alive! Despite all impossibilities, Sonic the Hedgehog was alive! It was more than astonishment that filled her soul; it was pure euphoria and wonder. She didn't care of how he had survived or that he had avoided death yet again, for all that mattered was that he was alive and there.

"Uh... Pinkie? Are you just gonna sit there, or are you gonna—Gah!" Sonic stopped mid-sentence, choked by the death grip grasp that suddenly wrapped around his neck.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! You're alive!" Amy exclaimed, not daring to loosen her grip for even a second. "Oh, Sonic... I spent all this time thinking you were dead, but here you are!" She exclaimed, leaving an expression of pure confusion on his face. "You survived the accident! This is amazing! I just can't—"

Before she could form another syllable on her tongue, Sonic pushed her away, trying his best not shove her too hard or appear rude. "I appreciate the, um, concern and everything miss, but… who are you?"

A wave of awe filling her, Amy's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"How do I put this?" Sonic asked himself as he looked at the ground, scratching his head in the process. "You... um… I don't actually know you. Have we ever met before? Because it's a little odd to go up to some random person and hug them, if you catch my drift."

Amy's eyes grew wide. "Sonic... it's me! Amy Rose."

Sonic glanced up as he pondered upon the name, folding his arms as he whispered to himself. "Amy... Amy... nope. Sorry, doesn't ring a bell."

"But Sonic..." She was speechless.

"Sorry, Pinkie, but you must have mistaken me for someone else." He shrugged, turning around as he sighed. "I'd love to help you find the guy you're looking for, but I gotta go. See ya later!"

It wasn't true. He had to be messing with her. He... she... he would never forget someone like her, whether he wanted to or not. No matter what had happened in the past, even if he didn't want to see her, Sonic never pulled something like this... and boy, did it make her made. Even worse than that, it made her furious. Without even bothering to stop and question herself, Amy growled and pulled out her Piko Piko Hammer.

"YOU BIG JERK!" With one powerful swing, her hammer came down on Sonic's head, "HOW DARE YOU JOKE ABOUT THIS? YOU DISAPPEAR FOR WEEKS, EVERYONE THINKS YOU'RE DEAD, AND THEN YOU COME BACK EXPECTING ME TO TAKE A JOKE LIKE FORGETTING ME?" She smacked him again, "YOU HAVE TO BE THE DUMBEST, MOST SELFISH, AND _THE_ WORST—" but before she could land a third hit, his hand caught her hammer causing her to freeze in place. Sonic never caught her hammer when she hit him. That could only mean that—

She saw his gaze. It was ice cold, and yet burning with hatred at the same time. "What the heck was that about?" With one strong yank, he pulled the hammer out of her grasp and threw it onto the sidewalk. "What kind of a person comes up to some random guy who doesn't even know them and starts bashing their skull in? What justification can you possibly have for something like that?"

Growling, Amy balled her hands into her fists, refusing to back down. "You're acting as if you don't know who I am, Sonic the Hedgehog! I bet you anything that you're going to go act as if you've forgotten me, but you still somehow manage to remember that goody-goody brat, Sally!" As soon as she had realized what she had said, the moment her words sunk in and caused Sonic's expression to contort itself with rage, Amy wished she could have taken it back.

"Excuse me," Sonic asked, his wrath bubbling far too close to the surface for safety. "What did you just call her?"

Ignoring the voice in the back of her head, Amy poked him in the chest, "You heard me. That goody-goody brat, Sa—"

With an iron grip, Sonic grabbed onto Amy's wrist. The glare he sent her was the very definition of malevolence, and as he glowered at her, she could feel his anger resonating off him. "Don't you EVER say that about her again." He threatened, his voice icy and sharp.

"Or what, you'll go on about how amazing she is?"

Before she could even comprehend what had happened, Amy found herself on the ground. She looked up in horror to see Sonic standing over her, "If I have to, I _will_ make you shut up!" he shouted, pointing a finger towards her before he placed his hands on his head as if he had been plagued with a terrible headache, "I already almost lost her once, and I'm NOT going to lose her again." He looked down at her with a scowl that could have put the devil himself to shame. "And I won't let anyone get in the way of that." And he was gone.

She sat there for a long time, panting in shock. What… what had happened? Tears began to fill her eyes. _Great, _she thought as she picked up her hammer, _I always knew that would happen. But still, why did it have to hurt so much?_ Ignoring the gazes of those in the street who had watched her and the hero's short-lived argument, Amy stood up and dashed off in the opposite direction that Sonic had headed. Only one place could calm her at the moment.

The smell of the place led her there, but when she entered the garden, she still couldn't get that glare out of her head. It had been so unbelievably cold, and his words had been so cross. Yes, that had most definitely been Sonic she had talked to, but how could he have forgotten her? How could he do something like that? Shortly after dashing into the garden, Amy located her favorite spot, fell to the ground, and scanned the expanse of the garden of flowers.

She had visited the place often as of late, during the moments when she had been at her lowest. Surrounded by trees and open sky, it was her one safe haven where, no matter what, she could be happy. It was her sanctuary. Despite this, however, the quiet breeze and colorful flowers did nothing to calm her mood. Though it was more fear than sadness that filled her as she reflected upon what had happened, the girl simply couldn't deal with the negative emotions. She just wanted the echoes and images to go away.

Sighing, Amy looked down at the patch of flowers in front of her, tears dripping down her cheeks. Out of the bunch of roses that stood before her, a single pink blossom that shared her same shade of fur bloomed at half strength, a hint weaker than its family, and only slightly less magnificent as the rest. A rose that reminded her of herself…

Perhaps, as silly as it sounded, that was why she loved the rose garden so much. Over time, Amy had begun to see herself in the flowers, notice her own image in the roses that budded, bloomed, wilted, and died. Eventually, the garden had begun to feel like a second home to her, where she could simply sit and think about whatever was going on in her life without any distractions. For when she was there, Amy felt safe, and she felt at peace. Sure, the thorns hurt whenever she was dumb enough to absent-mindedly grab the flowers, but after doing it so many times, Amy had grown accustomed to it. And besides all that, her shoes were long enough that they blocked most of the pricking from the flowers, so the thorns rarely actually provided to be a problem.

Yet even so, Amy felt alone. She had known from the beginning that her hero would choose another over her, someone more sophisticated and mature, so to speak, than her, but it still hurt all the same. "Time heals all wounds, right?" She whispered to herself. Yes, the saying had truth to it, but she wished that someone was there to hold her and tell her it was going to be alright, however cheesy it sounded. Maybe even just be there for the company, almost anyone would have sufficed.

"And what do we have here? A hedgehog in a flower field? What a lucky find!" Anyone except for _him_. Wincing, Amy looked up above her to see, sure enough, riding in his personal Egg-craft, Dr. Eggman.

"Eggman..." She sighed, carefully wiping her tears away as she scowled at the good doctor. "Figures. I was having a bad enough day as it was."

"Oh really?" He asked, grinning evilly, "Would you like me to help with that?"

"Seriously, I could go for anyone's help right about—" Her instincts kicked in just in time to avoid a missile that had been launched from his machine. "Gah! Too close!"

"You did say you'd take anyone's help, correct?" He questioned, his tone wicked and wild. "Well you know what they say! If you want a bad day to end," He began, pressing a button, "Then end it altogether!" and sending a host of missiles after her.

Amy shrieked, rapidly performing a series of jumps and skips to dodge the projectiles, many of them ending up much more graceful than others. "Ha! Nice try! I'm lot better than that Dr. Fattie!" She exclaimed, taking out her Piko Piko Hammer again and throwing it at him, which smacked him promptly in the face and caused him to release a loud cry of pain, thus fueling a large and toothy grin on Amy's face. Despite years of easily losing to Eggman, she was actually doing pretty well! Training over the years had helped immensely, and not to mention, Eggman was also getting old. Well, older.

Distracted with her brief victory, her thoughts were interrupted by the crashing of heavy metal into solid ground. Turning to face the source of the sound, Amy's eyes grew wide. Eggman's personal carrier had somehow transformed itself into a colossal robot; one that she was sure could easily crush her.

"I was just going to mess with you, _girl_, but I was reminded—thanks to you—of how annoyed I am of hedgehogs right now. So instead, I think I'm going to make sure you won't even be able to pick up that hammer when I'm done with you!" And instead of another missile being sent her way, a giant iron fist suddenly lunged towards her, causing a scream to slip past her lips as she leapt off to the side.

_Great job Amy, _She thought as she ran towards the entrance of the garden, _that's the second man you've made angry today. Only this guy might actually kill you_! Frantically reaching her hand out to the tree closest to her, only to feel a full set of five metallic fingers wrap around her body tightly. Before she could even attempt to open her mouth and scream, it threw her back so hard that she skidded across the ground for several seconds, screeching as the thorns dug into her skin.

"Now Amy," Eggman boomed shortly after the girl had come to a halt, the dense iron foot landing about two feet away from her as she looked up, her vision instantly over-taken by the hulking bot. "I don't mean to be rude, but I think it'd be better if you just disappeared!" With a press of the button, the spring loaded fist flew forward. The girl screamed in response and shielded herself in a useless attempt to save herself from impending doom.

Before the metal could connect with her body, however, the whooshing of the wind suddenly filled her ears as she found herself lifted from the ground. Her first thought was that Sonic had reluctantly saved her, but within second, her senses proved her wrong and filled her with shock unrivaled from anything else that she had felt the entire day.

"Eggman, Eggman, Eggman… how shameless of you. To attack a lady as pretty as Amy Rose. Well, I guess I'll just have to put you in your place for such barbaric behavior." Amy opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw were two ruby red irises. Black and red color and a muzzle of tan skin also filled her vision, with pure white fur obscuring her sight and causing her mouth to fall open in a wide gap. Wha… what? Her rescuer wore a smile that spoke not of arrogance, but confidence.

It was none other than Shadow the Hedgehog.


	2. Like Watching a Movie

**Chapter 2: Like Watching a Movie**

He was smiling smugly, confidence emanating off him in a fashion that made Amy gap and stare at him in shock. Why in the world was Shadow the Hedgehog saving her? Much less, why was he even smiling to begin with? Didn't Shadow hate smiling? Amy Rose understood a little bit about Shadow, like that the two of them got along pretty well from their few brief encounters that occurred over the years, but other than that, the girl was clueless when it came to the Ultimate Lifeform. Just what on Mobius was going on?

As soon as she opened her mouth to question him, the iron fist flew forward yet again, making a loud shriek escape from her mouth instead. Shadow simply grinned.

He chuckled, "Easy." and with one strong leap, avoided the attack.

The girl was amazed with how high he had jumped, and how flawlessly he had performed the evasive maneuver. How… how had he done that so easily? She understood that he was the Ultimate Lifeform and everything, but wow. Though fully awestruck, her initial sense of surprise didn't compare to how much awe filled her when she looked at Shadow. Never before had she seen him so happy. So joyful to be doing, well… anything. Just the sight of his grin was beyond what Amy could ever hope calling surreal, and that was putting it lightly.

A few seconds after Shadow had leapt out of the way, she found the two of them standing on one of the branches from the very tree she had not been able to reach earlier. After landing, he gently sat her down and glanced at her, "Stay here." before jumping off the branch. She didn't know what to expect as he made his descent, but watching him filled her with something she hadn't felt in a long time: excitement.

Dr. Eggman, meanwhile, regarded Shadow with a sneer as he landed delicately in front of the robot. "Ah, Shadow. What a surprise this is. Usually, aren't you aiding me rather than fighting against me?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Depends on the situation, doctor. If there's something to gain from working with you, then sure. But if you're opposing my goals, there's going to be a problem. And as I am the guardian of this planet, which you were harming," He suddenly disappeared, "I'm going to have to punish you!" and without a warning, he reappeared besides Eggman, looking down at him with a grin.

Eggman shrieked, "Ah, you little—" and swung his arm at the black and red creature. "Get off my robot!"

Shadow jumped up, avoiding the swipe as if it had been executed by a five year old aiming at a pesky fly. "I've seen better from road kill. Is that really the best you can do, Eggman?" He laughed, making the doctor growl.

"Why, you little...!" He pressed another button, transforming the left arm into a fully loaded machine gun. "You will regret mocking me!" Pulling the trigger, a cascade of bullets hurled themselves from the gun. Amy covered her ears, ducking behind a particularly large group of branches in fear of being hit by one of them.

Still falling through the air, Shadow smirked, "I doubt that," and he danced. At least, it looked like a dance, the way he avoided the bullets. Never once did any single bullet come close to touching him, not once did a flash of silver even come close to grazing him. The way he seemed to slip through the air without limitation amazed Amy. Although she knew Sonic was good at fighting and Shadow was even better, the girl had no idea of how skilled the black hedgehog truly was.

Before long, Shadow fell to a patch of flowers that had not been touched by the destruction, landing quietly with an aura of aimed destruction about his figure. The wicked doctor turned to face Shadow, the gun now coupled with a laser of a sort on the other hand. It spent only a few fractions of a second to charge and shoot, and as it always did, it hit its targeted area. But to the doctor's misfortune, as always, it did not strike its actual target.

At the last moment possible, Shadow had jumped out of the way, leaving dear old Dr. Eggman empty handed once again. Yet as was tradition, he didn't give up there. As soon as the laser collided with the dirt, Eggman unleashed the machine gun into a trigger-happy rampage. As before, Shadow weaved through each and every bullet. He grinned shortly after the barrage of bullets began, "I see… so that's where you're getting the energy from."

Clueless as ever, Amy simply watched, wide-eyed and awed. Wait, what did he mean by that? Before she could question out loud, Shadow disappeared once more and reappeared, grasping onto the left arm of the robot as he grinned and yelled, "Chaos spear!"

A bolt of sparking, yellow chaos energy sliced the arm clean off the robot, and Eggman screeched, enraged as he watched the hunk of metal crash to ground. Oh, of course! The robot must have been powered by a chaos emerald. That was why Shadow had been teleporting, and that was how he had used a chaos spear. He had been using the emerald's energy!

As if he had read her mind, Shadow disappeared again, reappearing on the other side to repeat his chaos incantation and rip off the other arm. Growling, Eggman shrieked, "Stop that you little—" but it was far too late.

Before he or anyone else could do anything about it, Shadow kicked it up a notch with a furious flurry of teleporting and attacking. It became entertaining to watch as Shadow would strike the bot and disappear, only to reappear a moment later and attack once more. It was similar to watching someone swat at a mosquito. No matter how hard Eggman tried, he never once came close to hitting Shadow. Grinning at the thought, Amy realized, at the same time Shadow and Eggman had, that the mad doctor had been beaten.

Confidence washing over Shadow's expression, the hedgehog threw his hand up in the air. "Chaos control!" He yelled with a grin, the green emerald appearing in his hand with a flash of light. "Now we finish this."

He was out of sight within the blink of an eye, and when he reappeared, he punched the robot with such force that he left a dent in the metal, which caused both Amy and Eggman to gap in utter shock. As soon as the indentation had been made, he disappeared, then reappeared and punched again, leaving another scar in the metal that was just as large as, maybe even larger than the one before. Continuing the cycle until the robot became reminiscent to a crumpled tin can, Shadow disfigured the bot until he was satisfied with his work. Nodding to himself, he teleported onto the patch of grass that sat just below the robot and with one impossibly strong punch, sent the giant robot in the air, Eggman screaming.

But no, Shadow still wasn't finished. Shortly after the bot had been sent flying, the hedgehog teleported up into the air to accompany the doctor in the air, but with a grin decorating his face. The instant Eggman's eyes settled upon the hedgehog, Shadow sent a little wave to the man and pulled his leg back, making all watching eyes grow wide. Was he going to—? Before any thoughts could connect, Shadow swung his foot forward, striking the metal, and sending both the bot and its owner flying.

"CURSE YOU, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG! I'LL GET YOU! MARK MY WORDS, I'LL GET YOU..." Within seconds, he was out of sight.

Amy Rose was speechless. No, not even that, she was almost thoughtless. There was no way on all of Mobius that Sonic could have done that, at least as far as she knew. Usually, Sonic struggled figuring out how to fight any of Eggman's bots, much less defeat them altogether. But Shadow… he had done it without even breaking a sweat. At that moment, more than ever before, Amy had no doubt in her mind that Shadow was the Ultimate Lifeform. He was amazing. The very instant Shadow landed on the ripped up soil, Amy blinked, jumped down, and ran towards him.

Shadow sighed a breath of relief, holding the emerald a bit tighter as Amy ran up to him. He turned to face her, his expression relatively calm. "Shadow, that was amazing!" Amy shouted, causing a casual grin to grace the black hedgehog's lips. "You didn't even break a sweat fighting Eggman! You just… wow!"

Shadow chuckled, "Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean taking him down was that easy." He paused, and reflected on his words for a moment before shaking his head. "Actually, it _was_ that easy." He said sarcastically, making Amy laugh. His smile widened in response, but just as he was about to attempt to make another joke, he noticed the scratches all over her body.

"Amy, your arms! And your legs and… well, all of you! You're covered in scratches." Shadow told her, watching as she looked down at herself. Sure enough, she was covered in all types of gashes and bruises from the thorns, but to be honest, it didn't really bother her. Shrugging, Amy sighed as she looked back at him with a grin.

"Whatever. They don't hurt too much. Besides, it's a lot better than whatever would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

The Ultimate Lifeform shook his head. "Well, we still need to clean them up. We can hurry up and do it at my place." Shadow told her, grabbing her hand as he turned around. "Come on."

Amy giggled, reluctantly following as he led the way. "You don't take no for an answer, do you Shadow?"

He shrugged, "It's the least I can do."

Amy smiled and nodded, feeling almost as if Sonic had never even yelled at her. "Yeah."

Before they left the garden, she glanced back one last time, a wave of melancholy and sadness rushing over her as she looked at the field. It was totally and utterly devastated, and it appeared as if only a few select flowers had survived the chaos. "It's too bad about the flowers, though…" She sighed.

Shadow looked at her, then gently tugged her forward. "Yes, but perhaps that is one of the best things about flowers, or just about anything in life. When old flowers die, new ones grow, much stronger than the ones before. Just watch. There will be a new field of flowers even more beautiful than the last one in no time, I'm sure of it."

Glancing back for one more second, Amy smiled softly. "Yeah…"

Although he didn't realize it at the time, with his simple action, Shadow had picked up a piece of her broken heart—a tiny shard, just a sliver—and started putting it back together.


	3. Room to Spare

** Chapter 3: Room to Spare**

After a few minutes of walking through the forest Shadow let go of her hand. It hadn't been awkward for either of them for some unknown reason, and neither was their conversation. However, it was unknown of who was more surprised by the lack of awkwardness; Shadow or Amy. Although it was most likely Shadow, Amy showed it in a greater abundance. To both of them, it had almost felt as if they had been friends for years.

The weather was basically the same, but now, the breeze was slightly stronger. Amy of course, was grateful for it. After being attacked, fearing for your very existence, and watching an awesome battle of epic proportions, her heartbeat had risen quite a bit. She was tired, true, but the energy that watching Shadow now filled her was much stronger than her tire. As they walked, she continued to plague him with unending questions.

"So... where do you live anyways?" She asked, watching as a few cat children ran past, laughing as they ran.

"Pretty much in the center..." Shadow told her, looking at a skyscraper with an unusually annoying billboard. "Hey, have you noticed the layout of the city yet?"

Amy thought for a second, but couldn't figure out what he was talking about. "No, what is it?"

Shadow chuckled and nodded, "Have you realized that the bigger buildings are in the center of the city, and the smaller are around the edges?"

"Um... aren't all cities like that?"

"Kind of..." Shadow sighed, glaring at the billboard yet again. "Only, it's not only the buildings that are set up like that, but the people too. Y'know... like an arrangement of class."

Amy raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that just basic knowledge or something, oh wise one?"

Shadow chuckled again, "I see than little Miss. Sarcastic..." he was suddenly quiet again as he looked up at the billboard and stopped walking. Amy-a little taken back at his random behavior-stopped and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, but when looking at the billboard, narrowed her eyes. "Really?"

Shadow just shook his head as he continued walking, "If you were a guy, you'd understand."

Amy rolled her eyes as she grinned, "Seriously though? Glaring at a billboard? If you're going to glare at Jared Beaver, why not at the real thing, or a video?"

"Because if I saw the real thing, I'd probably shoot it."

Amy giggled, "Or throw a water bottle at him."

Shadow looked back at the giggling girl and smiled. The smile surprised Amy, as it was a true genuine smile. Not one out of sarcasm or one of being humored, but a real smile. It was as if that had actually made him feel happy. Somehow, this made Amy feel good.

Suddenly, a voice made Amy's heart jump, "AMY! AMY WAIT, I NEED YOUR HELP!"

There was no possible way that voice could have been hers. She was... no! There was no way she'd ask for Amy's help... but there was only one way to find out. As she turned around, Shadow himself revealed the answer. "Well look at that..." Shadow said as the girl finally caught up with them, panting as she stopped to catch her breath. "It's Sally Acorn."

Sally was leaned over, her hands on her knees as she breathed heavy sighs to catch her breath. She nodded; "Yes it's me Sally... now..." she couldn't continue though, as she sighed another heavy breath before she could actually speak.

Feeling confused by Sally's tire and the fact that she had ran after HER for help, Amy carefully reached her arm towards her. "Um... are you okay?"

Standing up straight but still not being able to breathe totally correctly, she nodded, "Me, I'm fine... I just can't breathe because I can't catch up with Sonic, much less keep up with him!" she paused, "Of course, that isn't the actual key of the game I'm playing."

Amy was puzzled in an instant. "A game?"

"Yes..." she nodded again, "Sonic... is playing hide and go seek with me. I have no idea why he would want to play that, but he insisted. And of course, I have to be the one to hide. Ugh... I feel sick..."

Shadow nodded and slightly smiled, "A little bit of an odd choice for a seventeen year old boy... or man."

Finally catching her breath, she sighed. "Yes... it is. But with someone like Sonic, you just can't argue." She turned to Amy, "So... did you happen to see him lately?"

Angry feelings bubbling into her cheeks until they burned into blushing, she furrowed her brow. "Sure... he was around fifth east... looking for you."

Sally smiled at her, "Thanks Amy... now maybe I can actually keep him off my tail." She turned around about to walk off, but suddenly turned back and to Amy surprise (and shock), Sally hugged her. Not quite knowing what to do, she carefully hugged her back.

"Um... all I did was tell you were Sonic was... right?"

Sally stepped back and smiled, "I know, but I haven't seen you in awhile. You've grown up so much... we should hang out and catch up some time, okay?"

Amy nodded cautiously, "Ah, sure. I think that would be okay..."

Sally nodded and grinned, "Alrighty then! We'll have to plan a hang-out day sometime, okay?"

Amy nodded one more time then looked back at Shadow. The black and red hedgehog shrugged, making Amy sigh to herself. When she turned back to look at the chipmunk she had already ran halfway down the street. The short lived reunion surprised Amy, but she was a little relieved that the girl did not yell at her as she had expected. Feeling a little guilty of what she had called her earlier while yelling at Sonic, Amy sighed.

Shadow nodded to himself, "Well... that was... different."

"Yeah..." Amy whispered then turned. "Let's go. These scratches still kinda sting."

As they started walking again Shadow raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said that those scratches didn't hurt at all."

"I don't remember. I just-" suddenly, Sally ran past them as fast as she could. Both Shadow and Amy stopped in their tracks as they watched her, their eyes a little wide in surprise.

"Wrong way, wrong way, wrong-AH!" A blue blur dashed passed them and grabbed onto Sally, making her shriek. Amy's heart skipped a beat when her eyes settled on him.

"I win again!" Sonic exclaimed excitedly, making Sally laugh along with him. A sudden emptiness was filling her heart left Amy with a growing expression of sadness. It felt like, for an entire second, that the loneliness would envelop her and swallow her whole and she felt her tears begin to well up in her eyes. She just wished that she could disappear...

Suddenly, a hand grabbed hers, throwing her from the sadness that had almost devoured her. He started pulling her, and as Amy looked up at him, Shadow avoided her gaze, "Come on." He told her. "Those scratches aren't going to take care of themselves."

Amy was silent, but smiled as he led the way. Suddenly, she forgot the blue hedgehog behind her and began to concentrate on the one in front of her. Something about him was very comforting and Amy wanted to know more about this feeling she had around him.

"So how much longer until we get to your apartment?"

Looking out of the corner of his eye towards her he spoke, "It's just that building up there," pointing to a particularly luxurious building. Amy smiled and looked at it then nodded.

"Alright then, lead the way."

Shadow looked back with a slight smile. "No problem."

Small talk was what went between the two as they finished their journey to the building. The building itself was nicely furbished in the lobby, but Amy didn't pay much attention to it. Neither did she care for the hallway decorations, the fancy chandeliers, or anything like that... but as soon as Shadow opened the door to his apartment, only one phrase would escape from her mouth.

"Holy crap."


	4. Like Freaking Rich and Stuff

**Chapter 4: Like Freaking Rich and Stuff**

Amy Rose knew what elegance was. She knew it with clothing and how a person dressed because of all the fashion shows she watched and all the fashion magazines she read. Home decor was also something she knew of because of the various pictures she had seen of all of those famous people's houses. Elegance was seen in many places and in very different levels, but never before had she seen it like this. This was beyond elegance. Amy didn't even know a word to fit his apartment. It was... heart-stopping.

"Shadow... how...?"

"Did I afford all of this?" Shadow asked with a smile on her face. He walked in, leading to Amy following her with awe in her gaze. As she looked around, he continued. "I've had a job with G.U.N. for quite some time now... and they pay very well."

"I'll say... you... wow." Amy simply couldn't figure out what to say. Every inch of his house seemed to be brimming with something, like a rich elegance she couldn't explain. It wasn't a pompous type of pride, but a simple way to say that Shadow liked to live with a few nice things. If that was the correct way to say it, then that meant her house was nothing but average, if even that.

"Anyway..." Shadow sighed, "You make yourself comfortable and I'll go get the first aid kit."

Amy nodded, not quite aware of what he had said. "Yeah... okay." Curiosity sparking her imagination, Amy started to walk around, looking at what was in store in his house. As Shadow walked off, Amy walked in the opposite direction, heading towards a wall that was surprisingly, decorated with pictures. Walking over didn't help her confusion, but simply added to it itself.

There were many pictures of him, Rouge, and Omega, which didn't surprise Amy, but others were a little less suspected. Amazingly, there were actual pictures of Maria and him along with the Dr. that created him, along with pictures that almost made her heart stop. The single most shocking picture had to be a picture of Sonic with his arm around Shadow's shoulder, smiles upon _both_ of their faces. A smile upon Shadow's face was odd... but when she thought about it, it hadn't been odd today. In fact, he had been smiling almost the entire day.

Amy looked up at one last picture, seeing herself smiling back. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, but smiled slightly. Somehow, it seemed as if Shadow had become happier... almost as if he was a joyful being now. Quietly, Amy walked back to the couch and sat down, silently thinking to herself.

"So..." Shadow's voice reappeared, making Amy look back at the black and red hedgehog curiously. "What brought you to stay in Station Square? I never see any of the others in the city... why do you stay here?"

Amy sighed with a small smile. She was about to open her mouth but quickly closed it. She didn't really like talking too much about herself... especially about this. This particular subject always bugged her. Her eyes looking off afar, she suddenly looked towards the picture of Shadow and Sonic. "Hey, how come you and Sonic are in a picture together? Of all people, I'd expect you to be punching him instead of hugging him."

Shadow raised his eyebrows as he had caught that she had attempted to diverge his attention, but he shrugged it off. "It's actually kind of a funny story..." Shadow said, walking towards the picture. "Imagine my surprise when Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of all of Mobius comes to me, begging me to teach him in the chaos arts. My initial response was of course, no, but there was something different with him. He seemed genuinely... sad. Almost as if something had happened to him... something that doesn't necessarily happen to heroes..." Shadow was quiet for a second as he seemed to contemplate on something, but then spoke again.

"Anyway... after he begged for a little bit I finally said yes. Let me tell you something. Training an inpatient, un-practiced, unusually eager hedgehog in the chaos arts was more annoying than trying to hit a target only a centimeter wide from a thousand feet away. Even with the necessary means, it was beyond annoying. He hadn't used his chaos powers since the incident on the ARK, or maybe even with all of the Iblis events... or whatever that was. In fact, he had rarely even used them then during those events. He had potential... but he sure did seem to squander it with how little he practiced it. When he told me of his lack of practice, I nearly drove an axe through his head."

"However..." Shadow sighed... "After we really started practicing, he made amazing progress. Although it didn't come as nearly as easy for me to him, he really had a gift for it. Once he got a certain technique down he never forgot it. I remembered watching him in awe as he went through and finished the lessons faster and faster each day... and... Slowly, his cheerful moods began to affect me. Obviously, you've noticed how I'm less... pessimistic per-say, and it's probably thanks to him. A hero has many reasons for being a hero... and charisma is a very important characteristic. Although not totally necessary, it really does change how someone views a hero."

"I always found Sonics' attitude unusually annoying, even for a egoistic puffed up hero like him... but I began to see why so many admired him. He never was rude to me when I told him how useless he was, and he always came and ended with a smile. My respect for him grew immensely, especially on the days where I pushed him beyond his limits. He would actually show tire... but he would never quit. When the pain became too much for even him to handle and he fell to his knees as I insulted him, he'd simply look up with a grin and say, 'Is that all you got?' which never ceased to amaze me." Shadow sighed as he looked at Amy. "It was around the last few weeks of my training that I finally called him a friend."

Shadow chuckled and smiled, "He began to do his exercises with even more energy than ever before, and on the day that I told him that he had finished his training he insisted that we have a picture... as proof that I could smile. It's funny though... because I always remember him being so... tiring and irritating... but he really is a great friend. Oh yeah..." he smiled mischievously... "It was during this training when he really changed his... 'Apparel' so much. New shoes, new gloves, and chest fur... he changed both with abilities and physically..."

"Well, anyway, sorry." He walked forward with the first aid kit as he opened it. "Here," he pulled out some wet wipes, "Use these to clean your cuts for now... tell me when you need a band-aide."

Amy nodded as she started to clean off a particularly large wound in her left leg. "Just one question..." Amy started, "If Sonic finished his training... why did he... you know, get stabbed with the chaos spears? And..."

Shadow shrugged, "That was the one thing he could never do. Honestly, he sucked at doing Chaos Spears. And obviously, he still does." Seeing that Amy had finished wiping off one of the cuts, Shadow handed her a band-aide. Amy smiled and grabbed, and for the next few minutes, they continued the cycle of cleaning and band-aiding. After a few minutes of repeating the cycle over and over, they finally finished. Amy sighed in relief, then looked at Shadow with a smile.

"Thank you Shadow."

"No problem." he smiled, then looked at the clock. "Well, it looks as if it's getting late." Shadow stated, "Do you-" the telephone suddenly rang, and he instantly was by it. He picked it up and pulled it to his ear, "Hello? Commander, you just-" he paused for a second. "Yes. Yes. I understand sir. But-" he paused again and growled. "Fine. I'll be there in a little bit. Goodbye." Hanging up the phone, he sighed.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Amy asked as he looked down.

"Yeah... I just... gotta go to work. Sorry about this..." he sighed, walking off once again. Amy followed him, curiosity filling her.

"What's up? I mean, why do you have to go?"

"Have you been hearing about all of those serial killings and kidnappings lately? Ya know, those nicknames they have... what's it called?"

"Little doll serial killer? Isn't he the guy that kidnaps little kids, then leaves their dead bodies in alleyways with a... doll soaking in their blood by them?" Amy asked, shivering at hearing the name.

"Yeah, that's the one." Shadow sighed, "They want me to go after him. They've had some reports of shady character around an elementary school lately... they think it might be him. I've gotta go check it out..." he sighed, then walked by her. "I don't want to leave you alone and I don't want to walk by yourself... so you can stay here for awhile, all right?"

Amy a little surprised nodded, "Okay... but I may get a little bored."

"Oh, feel free to look around. I've got a few things around here you might like... some computers, books, even some clothes you might want to try on..." he said, walking towards a door with a large lock on it. He whispered something that sounded like a chaos incantation and a set of keys appeared in his hand. He grabbed a small key that was dull color of gray and stuck it into the lock. He turned it and opened the door, then walked in.

"Okay, but-wait, clothes?" Amy asked, suddenly very confused.

"Yeah... you know, just a few outfits... although they're all for girls. I guess G.U.N. thought I had a girlfriend when they gave me the place..." he sighed. Amy looked around with wide eyes, seeing that the room was filled with several guns. Grabbing a riffle that was a dark color with the word_ Rose _engraved on it, he looked back at Amy. "If all else fails, I might call someone to hang out with you."

Shadow grabbed a small satchel and placed several small boxes of bullets in it. "Why do you have to bring a gun?" Amy asked as she watched him, then followed him out of the room. He locked it behind him and continued walking toward the front door.

"Protocols. All agent of G.U.N. are regulated to have one on hand at all times during missions." Shadow said, then walked towards the door. Opening it and looking back one last time, Shadow nodded. "I'll be back later. There is food in the fridge if you get hungry." And with that he was gone.

Speechless with how quickly he had left and how little conversation had gone on between them, Amy sighed. Looking at her shoes, she sighed. "Might as well go check out some of his stuff..." turning around, she took off her shoes and walked out of the main room down one of the halls. Coming into a room with a large collection of books, her eyes grew wide with amazement. She headed towards a section with several black books, grabbing the first one her eyes set upon. Looking the cover, she sighed. Twilight.

"Well... might as well see why so many are obsessed about this series..." sitting down in a large (and quite comfortable chair) Amy began to read. It was a little boring... and she almost felt like grabbing a baseball bat and hitting herself instead of reading the book. After about an hour of reading, she put the book down and looked around. Suddenly realizing something, she wondered... why in the world did Shadow of all people have Twilight? It was-

And suddenly, the door-bell rang. Amy jumped at it, but sat up out of the chair. Without a second thought, she headed off toward the door. Who could have been here at this time? Much less, who would be visiting Shadow? She opened the door and when she saw her small friend Cream at the door, her heart skipped a beat out of excitement.

"Amy!" the small rabbit exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and hugging her with a yell of excitement. Amy laughed as she hugged her friend. Suddenly, her loneliness was swallowed by the joy of seeing a friend.

"Cream, what are you doing here?" Amy asked as her friend looked up at her, her chao, Cheese, now floating around her head with an excited aura about it.

Smiling, Cream spoke, "Mr. Shadow came up to me when I was walking with my mom to the store and asked if I wanted to see you! My mom was okay with it, so she let me come hang out with you!"

A sense of relief filling her heart, Amy smiled. "That's great!"

Cream giggled again and looked at Cheese for a second before looking at Amy. "So, what do you want to do?"

Amy looked up for a second to think, then smiled, "Hey I know, why don't we try on some clothes? It sounds weird, but Shadow has some girls' clothes we could try on!"

Cream followed her in with a large grin on her face, her chao closing the door behind them. "I'd love to! This is going to be fun!"

The girls ran off and began their day of play time and chatting, living in total ignorance of what Shadow was about to go through.


	5. Better Than Batman

**Chapter 5: Better Than Batman**

Shadow breathed heavily as his eyes stayed fixed upon the target ahead of him. He wasn't a fast runner, but he was very clever. The villain he was chasing knew the streets well, and he knew every little short-cut and turn of these streets. Although Shadow knew them well, this man knew them even better. It angered him beyond all belief, and frustration was pulsing through his veins as he continued to run. Once again, he had underestimated his opponent, and if he didn't hurry, there was a little girl that was going to die.

The mission had started out like any other mission that involved catching a target. Following evidence and clues that the commander and other high ranking officers had given him had led him to the elementary school that the man was rumored to be hanging around. Shadow did not know how long he had watched that school, but he knew that it had been a long time before anything interesting occurred. It was dusk when a particularly shady character walked out of the building carrying a bag that Shadow instantly recognized as a young child. He didn't bother to say a word, nor even breath too loud as he followed the man.

After he left the school building the man put the child into his pickup truck. He looked around for only a second, not caring enough to look for any real threats. Starting the pickup truck and driving away so frantically was what reassured Shadow that the man was the killer. Shadow knew it, and he wasn't going to let the child die. To do so would go against everything he ever promised Maria... and that was something he'd never do.

Following him was easy, as was making sure the man didn't see him. He had done countless stealth missions before, and this was no problem in comparison to some of his even more difficult tasks. It was when he was on the streets and walking that he had a hard time. The man was looking around so much that Shadow had to constantly duck and hide behind trash cans and buildings that after awhile, Shadow was ready to just go up to the man and punch him in the face. Being so deep into his thoughts, he followed the man right into an alley and before he could realize what happened, almost into the man himself.

The man had the child slung over his shoulder and a gun pointed at Shadow. He smiled evilly as he spoke, "You're pretty stealthy... but like every shadow, you are revealed in the light." The young child was now screaming, squirming and trying desperately to escape. Shadow looked at the child with fear in his eyes, knowing exactly how much danger the young child was in. The man realizing what Shadow was looking at laughed, "So you want this? Ha..." he grinned, "If you want this little girl, you're going to have to catch me. But just to make the odds a bit evened..." without a second to react, the man pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit him right in the stomach, making him yell in shock and pain of the attack. The shot had been a lot stronger than anticipated, and it made him fall back onto the ground. Running, the man laughed evilly as the child screamed, horror filling her tiny soul. Shadow looked up to watch the man fleeing, anger filling his heart as he put his hands to his stomach. Against his better judgment, he dug and pulled the bullet out, making him cringe as he struggled to stand up. Excruciating pain was filling him as he put a hand on his gun. It was time to get serious.

And now he was chasing the murderer, fire burning in his soul. The pain becoming greater with each step and every breath, Shadow pulled out his gun, the perfect chance now arising. He aimed and with a pull of the trigger sent a bullet flying into the man's leg. He stumbled for a second, but there was no major reaction other than that. Shadow growled, anger filling his soul. Finally feeling all his hatred come forth, Shadow yelled angrily, "CHAOS CONTROL!" He could perform Chaos Control without an emerald, but it was extremely tiring, especially in his current condition.

The black and red hedgehog teleported, landing just behind the man. Taking the chance that was given, Shadow lunged forward, tackling the man. He yelled a loud grunt, falling with a thud that made Shadow smile. He had to be hurting now, and the young girl finally had a glimmer of hope. The murderer dropped the child, shock filling his soul. Within seconds, a more vicious side of him was unleashed. He turned on the ground and suddenly, pulled something out of his pocket. Growling, he yelled, "Not today blackie!"

Shadow tried his best to make his arm come up, but the wound in his stomach wouldn't allow him. Sure that there was no way to escape the oncoming strike Shadow put his arms in front of his face, ready for anything as his eyes closed. He waited for a few seconds for what seemed would be his impending doom. Waiting... waiting... nothing. Finally after what seemed like a year, Shadow looked up. Instantly, he felt shock and confusion flow through him. The man was feet away from him, but there was something odd about how this distance came to be. He was not on the ground, for this man was floating about ten feet in the air.

Speechless, Shadow stood up. Before anything else could be said or done, the man was sent flying into the wall, screaming as he collided with the bricks. He fell to the ground with a thump, making Shadow raise his eyes. What had been going on today? Why had this man been so good at fighting Shadow? Why had Shadow been so easily hurt today? And most of all, why the heck had that man just flown off into the wall? Before he had time to think, the man was grunting, struggling to stand up.

"You think... you can knock me down that easily?" The man panted, holding his arm tenderly. "Ha... you are going to suffer for what you did, hedgehog."

Eying the young girl for just a second, Shadow shook his head. "No, I'm not going to pay." He looked at the man for just a second and dashed up to him, leaving the man breathless in shock. "You are." and with a single strong punch, the man was sent flying backwards once again. What happened next filled Shadow with something more powerful than shock.

The man landed not only on his feet, but on the wall. His smile was pure evil, and the very thing filled Shadow with an unusual anger. How dare this man be a greater fighter than him! Much less, how dare he actually be able to harm Shadow! Gritting his teeth, Shadow aimed his gun. "YOU STUPID-" -Shadow almost swore, but just a slightly nicer-but still unkind-word, "I HOPE YOU BURN!"

Demons were dancing in the murderers eyes as he jumped at inhuman speeds from wall to wall, laughing as the bullets whizzed past his head. "I hope you die? Is that really the best you can do?" He laughed, "I've heard better from the children I've taken!"

Those last words filled a new anger in Shadow's heart, and suddenly, something stronger than hate filled his heart. That evil man had taken so many lives... the lives of innocent animals of Mobius as well as many humans. They had never had a chance. The bleak despair of those last moments... he couldn't even imagine them. How could he? The closest he had been to death was when he fell from the ARK. Even then, he had not felt fear. He had learned not to. Emotions had been so distant to him until his friendship with Sonic, and even then, he promised never to feel fear. But seeing the pain and unending fear of her life being in danger... that human girl was sitting in anxiety of who would win. What would determine her fate was unsettling, the battle these two were fighting. None of those other children had the hope that this girl did now. She had a chance at life. To be able to grow up like her mother and father did, to one day have her first kiss and fall in love, get married, have children... experience life.

She had a chance to live unlike someone he had once held dear to him. He wanted to give everyone a chance for that. He had promised himself that he would protect all life on this planet, and he was going to keep that promise. No matter what, he would not let something like this overcome him. A battle with a human... he could do this. He knew he could... and suddenly, the thought that Amy knew he could do it came to his mind. It was odd, but the thoughts gave him strength. He closed his eyes for a split second and with power in his voice, cried out, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

The world stopped in its tracks, and the city held its breath. Shadow looked up at the man who was frozen in the air. He smiled. Why had he been losing to a _human_ of all people? He knew that humans could run fast and they could be strong, but not this strong. He had been not only psyching himself out by the worry of finally facing this man. Plus, he wasn't actually that talented... but something was odd about him. Crouching down for a second and with a smile on his face, Shadow pushed up and was sent flying into the air. "Well then," he smiled, as he was now by him in the air, and time slowly began to continue. The man looked at him with wide eyes and Shadow lifted his fist back, "Time out!"

His fist crashed full force into the man's stomach, and the man grunted. They both fell to the ground, Shadow landing on his feet and the man landing on his back. Shadow let out a breath, then looked at the man with calm eyes. He was finally broken. He was not going to get up and attack. The thought instantly gave Shadow comfort as he realized he had won the battle. Somehow... he no longer felt pain.

The sound of police sirens soon filled Shadow's ears as the lights of police cars soon shone down the alleyway. Looked over, Shadow raised his eyebrows. They sure had taken a long time to get here. Shadow sighed as he looked at the young girl. As the police cars rolled to a stop and men rushed out to apprehend the man, he walked to the young girl. There were tears in her eyes and she was sobbing, but other than that, she looked as if she was unharmed. Reaching his hand out to her, Shadow spoke. "Hey, are you okay?"

The girl looked up with fresh tears flowing. She was clutching a doll that had blonde hair and a pink dress, and she was shaking only slightly. Biting her lip, she nodded. Shadow smiled. "Good. What's your name?"

She had short brown hair that was cut into a bob, and she looked to be only five or six. Her blue eyes fixating upon Shadow with curiosity, she spoke quietly, "Libby. Liberty Taylor Jacobson."

Shadow smiled, "What a pretty name! Were you named after anyone?"

The girl nodded with a smile on her face, "Yep. My grandma..." she looked up at the police cars, a couple now coming out of one of the vehicles. Upon seeing their faces, her eyes lit up. "Mommy, daddy!" Without another word, the little girl ran to her parents. Her mother was teary eyed and her long dirty blonde hair was messy as she too ran forward. The father followed his wife, his muscular build supporting the pregnant mother perfectly as they met their child. She jumped into her father's arms, and they all stood together, holding each other with joyful sobs. Shadow smiled. The family reunited after such a horrible scare must have been so wonderful... especially since now, the little girl was definitely going to be able to one day meet her little sibling she'd soon have.

As he nodded to himself, the police captain walked over. "Shadow," he said, making the black hedgehog look over at him. "You did good. But you look like you got attacked by a machine gun or something."

Shadow looked down at his stomach, remembering that he had been shot. The joy he had felt had numbed the pain. Shrugging, Shadow sighed, "Didn't hurt much in the first place."

The captain laughed, "You're a terrible liar."

"Well that's a good thing, right?" looking around for a second he sighed. "It's late. I should probably get going."

"Mr. Black Hedgie..." the young girl's voice spoke, making him glance over. The happy family stood there, the father still holding his daughter. She smiled as he walked forward a little bit more. "Thank you. You are super duper cool." Carefully, she leaned forward and kissed Shadow's forehead. The captain chuckled a little bit, but Shadow smiled, a warm feeling placing itself into Shadow's heart. He looked up at her as she grinned, "You are my hero."

Shadow's cheeks were burning red when the father spoke, "Thank you. You saved our daughter's life. Is there anything we can do to repay you?"

He shook his head slightly, "No, there's no need to do such a thing. Just part of my job." He told them with a smile before turning to the captain again. "Got to go. See ya later." And with that he was gone.

Running back, he could feel his heart burning. He could never explain the warmth he felt when he saved someone. It was so strange and odd, but it was something he had learned to love. Doing good had a strange reward that before he had joined G.U.N. or done we he had done on the ARK, he never would have known. Maybe that was why Sonic had always done what he did. Or maybe someone as simple minded as Sonic just liked the adventure. Either way, Shadow intended to stay good. He had a lot more... friendly company this way.

He had almost reached his apartment when he finally had to stop. Panting, he looked down at his stomach. The wound was a mess... and not stopping to let himself relax had not helped. Although it didn't hurt as much as he initially thought it did, it was still a lot more painful than what he would have liked to go through. Sighing, he stopped and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He was exhausted... he had used chaos energy without an emerald, and that had totally drained his body. There was no other choice but to walk home. Just as he took a slow step forward, he heard a voice.

"That human was oddly strong, wasn't he? He should have been no challenge for the ultimate life form!"

Shadow let out a sort of a chuckle as he turned around. The figure had been standing on a rather short building-only about two or three stories tall-and was now floating down. He smirked as he spoke to the figure, "Well if you're so smart, Silver, then maybe you can tell me why he beat me up so bad?"

Silver landed softly, an "intelligent" look upon his face. "Easy! He was infused with negative chaos energy."

Shadow looked at the white hedgehog with a bit of sarcasm in his soul. The sixteen year old hedgehog sure did act like a know-it-all sometimes. "Well than, would care to explain to me while you help me limp to my apartment? As you could have probably guessed, I'm not in the best of conditions."

He nodded, "No problem!" Silver rushed over, putting an arm around Shadow as the black hedgehog placed his over Shadow's shoulder. Adjusting himself slightly, Silver looked up. "Okay, onward!" And they were off.

Shadow let out a slight breath as he limped, looking up at Silver for just a second. "Now before you tell me the story of the amazing chaos freak jerk, will you tell me if that was you when that guy randomly flew into the wall?"

Silver let out a breath of confidence and he smiled, "You better believe it! That was pretty cool, huh?"

"Oh yes! It was just amazing."

Silver raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You sarcastic jerk."

Shadow smiled as they walked down the street. "You better believe it, bub. Now walk faster, my stomach is rumbling."

He giggled, "What stomach?" Shadow merely shook his head at the dorky comment.


	6. Totally Toll Free

**Chapter 6: Totally Toll Free**

As Cream silently put on one of Shadow's numerous hats onto her head, Amy couldn't help but smile. This hat, like the last one, was just a hint to small. Not only that, but it looked absolutely ridiculous in every sense possible, as it looked as if it hailed from the eighties. Although, she had to admit, she had seen worse. The only thing that she really wondered at the moment was why the person who got Shadow the hats had such bad taste? All the other clothing he had was fine except for this. Amy let out a little "ha" and shook her head. "Nope, that one doesn't work either.

Cream sighed in a goofy manner and nodded. "You're right... but there aren't any more hats. What are we supposed to do now?"

Amy hummed for a second in contemplation and when the thought hit her, her eyes lit up like a night-lamp in the city. "Headband!"

Cream was silent for a second as she looked at her friend with hints of confusion in her soul. Amy smiled as she realized how dorky she had just sounded, but before she could comment, Cream spoke. "Yeah! Now where did we put them again?"

"Right here," Amy said, grabbing a basket that was full of colorful headbands.

"Now let's find one that matches my outfit..."

It had been a few hours since Shadow had left, and Amy and Cream had had a blast. Not only had they spent the day dressing up and enjoying each other's company, but the two had actually found outfits they liked quite a bit. Cream was wearing an orange dress that was attached with a white and orange vest, being trimmed with blue and white around the outfit. She wore white leggings too, and as Amy grabbed an orange headband to put on Cream's head, she noticed something new that wasn't there the last time she saw Cream: she had hair! Amy smiled and looking around among the various hair accessories, grabbed a brush and started to run it through the hair she now apparently had.

The new outfit Amy had on was different from what she was accustomed to, wearing for once, pants and a shirt instead of the usual dress and leggings. She was surprised with how comfortable it was, and she absolutely loved the complexity of the outfit. There was detail all over the outfit, including many unnecessary zippers, countless pockets, and other little bits and pieces that made the outfit more original than anything she'd ever seen before. The main colors of the outfit were pink and black, and it also added to the giddy joy she felt while wearing it. Despite the action, craziness, and above, insanity of the day's events, Amy was enjoying herself.

"Oh, thanks Amy! I haven't brushed my hair all day. I've been running errands with her all day. Speaking of which, I should probably go help her with the food, huh?" Cream asked.

Amy nodded, "That would probably be a good idea. I'll start cleaning up the clothes, okay?" Cream nodded and without another word, stood up and ran out of the room. Amy started to pick up several shirts and return them to their original place in the closet as the chao, Cheese, lazily flew in the direction Cream had walked off in. Vanilla had stayed to watch the girls and also help them keep the place clean. Now she was making home-made noodles for various soups. It made Amy smile, especially since Vanilla was an excellent cook.

After a few minutes she finished folding and putting away the clothes, and soon was walking off toward the kitchen as well. Cream was helping her mother by grabbing several bowls and walking over to the table to set them up while her chao curiously watched Cream's mother begin to finish the soups. Amy inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell wonderfully. She only hoped Shadow would be able to get back in time to enjoy the food when it was hot.

"Amy, you look pretty tired. If you want, you can go sit down on the couch while we finish up." Vanilla's words made her spin around for a slight second, but made her smile in a tired way. She simply nodded and walked off, quiet gratitude filling her.

She sat down, her thoughts racing through her head as she felt the tire fill her soul. What a long and eventful day. Being yelled at by Sonic, seeing Sally again, being saved by Shadow from Eggman, getting to see Cream... it had been quite a nice day, though. But she only wondered when Shadow would return. It would be exciting to see how his mission had-

The door suddenly swung open and Amy's heart was sent racing as it banged loudly against the wall. Without any thoughts commanding her, she shot up with her Piko Piko in hand, and dashing forward, swung her hammer down as hard as she could. When her hammer stopped without hitting anything she was ready to scream until she looked past her attack.

"Sheesh Rose, careful! If you would have hit blackie here, he would have for sure died in his condition!"

Amy's eyes grew wide and she smiled as she looked at her friend Silver. "Silver!" then she looked at Shadow. Her eyes grew even wider and she was ready to scream when she saw the crimson red that was bleeding from the wound on his stomach. "SHADOW!"

As Silver helped Shadow to the couch, Cream came running in. She shrieked when her eyes lay upon it, and her chao had a similar reaction. "What happened?" Cream asked, Amy now helping the hedgehog to sit down.

Silver simply chuckled and shrugged as Shadow panted with labored breaths. "The guy he was chasing was infused with chaos energy. Negative chaos energy. Somehow, this genius didn't realize it and tried to, well, attack him full force. And what do you know, he got himself shot. It's not exactly pretty either, as you can tell."

Now on the couch, Shadow growled, "He got lucky... besides, I did capture him, right?"

Amy nodded, then spoke, "Where's the first aid kit?"

"Third door on the left. That hall," he pointed his shaking arm towards a particularly dimly lit hallway. Amy stood up and without any more words being exchanged, she ran off. She ran right past Vanilla, who had also seen Shadow's condition and was rushing over to help. Amy could hear as Vanilla asked the same question that everyone else had been asking. Grabbing the doorknob, Amy swung the door open and grabbed one of the many first aid kits. She raised her eyebrows a bit. Apparently, Shadow liked being prepared.

"Got it," Amy spoke, the others glancing over with heavy anticipation and anxiety in their eyes.

"Sit down and open it up. We'll obviously need some heavy duty bandages and something to clean out the wound. What do you have for that, Shadow?" Silver asked as Amy opened the kit and began to dig through it.

His breathing still heavy and his cheeks now rosy, Shadow tried to sit up, "Just water. Anything else stings too much." Vanilla gently pushed Shadow back after trying to move, and Shadow simply sighed and complied.

"Okay... I'd think you of all people wouldn't care about a little stinging." Silver said, looking around for a second. Seeing the bottle of water in the kit he sighed, "Then again," his hands and the bottle glowed and it began to levitate. The top twisted off and the bottle floated towards Shadow. Slowly, the bottle tipped and water poured onto the wound. "You always have your weird ways."

Shadow cringed and he gasped in pain, his eyes now clamped shut together. His teeth gritting, he growled, "Why did that idiot have to shoot me? And with a gun that powerful at that as well? Darn it... ugh, get something to soak this up with."

Without any question, Amy stood up and ran off toward the bathroom. She grabbed two wash-cloths and turned on the warm water on the faucet, getting only one of them wet. After it was soaked she rinsed it out and ran out, throwing the wet one toward silver. Silver caught the cloth with his powers, bringing it over onto Shadow's wound. Without touching it, Silver began to rub it softly, making Shadow cringe yet again. She sat down next to Shadow as he looked at her, pain in his eyes.

Somehow despite the hurt, Shadow smiled. "I'm glad I invited some so many people over to my house. It's like I have my own personal hospital to take care of me."

Amy smiled at his ability to somehow be optimistic in this condition. "Well then, I guess I'll be your nurse for awhile." She said as she grabbed the thick gauze bandages.

Shadow closed his eyes lightly as he breathed heavy sighs, "I'd like that."

* * *

><p>Amy looked over at Shadow as he struggled to sit up, smiling slightly at his frustrated expression. Although it had been a few days since Shadow had been shot and he had healed a little bit, he was still struggling to get about easily. He had been healing quite slowly, and it had been sending Shadow down a path of furious mumbles aimed at his own body. She giggled whenever he growled to himself, and the words were always the same.<p>

"This stupid immune system... or whatever it is. Why won't it heal? For crying out freaking loud, I am the ultimate life form for heaven's sake! I should already be able to walk around without this stupid wound of mine hurting so bad. Stupid freaking idiot... I'm gonna kill that guy. Why did he shoot me? I'm gonna kill that guy..." No matter what, this always made Amy smile.

"Here," Amy said, walking over with a smile on her face. "Let me help you."

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "Again? Am I really that useless?"

Putting an arm around his, Amy shook her head, "No, you're just tired. You're body isn't used to this kind of wound. Like I said earlier, you are so... how do you say it; ninja that you've always been able to get away from getting hurt like this. You're body just needs time to heal. Although you are the ultimate life form, you are still a living creature." She pulled him up onto his feet as he sighed.

He nodded and spoke, "Well, I thank you. Ever since Silver, Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla left, you've been so kind as to take care of me. I'm glad you have, otherwise I'd just have to sit down in bed all day."

Amy smiled as she walked off to the kitchen, "And thank you for letting me stay at your house."

"No problem. So wait, what's for lunch again?" Shadow asked as he walked over slowly to where she stood.

"Mac and Cheese." She replied simply, mixing the pasta once again.

Shadow smiled. "Well... after so many extravagant meals, I'm thankful for some simplicity. I liked all the fancy food, but I like this type of stuff once in a while."

Amy grinned as she continued to finish the food. Shadow struggled to get over to the table chair and struggled even more to sit down. He looked grumpy for just a few minutes, but when a bowl of hot Mac and cheese came his way, a smile found its way on his face. Without stopping to examine it, he grabbed the spoon she had handed him and began to eat.

Amy smiled as she watched him enjoy his meal. She had been staying at Shadow's place since the night Amy and the others had taken care of his wounded body. Taking care of Shadow had been very interesting, but she had enjoyed it all the same. Not only had she been able to help out her friend, but she had been able to learn more about it him than she ever thought possible. Overall, she had quite enjoyed his company, and Amy could tell he had enjoyed hers too. Despite all the pain he had been in, Shadow had smiled so much. It had made Amy feel so happy, and she wished that he'd always be able to smile like this.

Stuck in her joyful day dreaming, Amy jumped nearly ten feet in the air when the phone rang. Shadow shot up out of his chair, cringing for only a second as he rushed over to grab it. Amy too stood up to follow him and hear what he was to say as he spoke on the phone.

"Hello? Commander! It's not normal for you to call twice within one week." He paused to listen and Amy watched within curious eyes. "Really? Well that's something I've known for a long time. What do you mean when you say-?" Suddenly, Shadow's eyes became very wide. "You're kidding. Where was this again?"

Amy's eyes were filled with confusion and as Shadow nodded and thanked the commander, Amy walked over by him. He hung up and for just a moment was silent. Wonderment filling her soul, Amy stepped forward. "Shadow, what's the matter?"

His eyes were wide and filled with pure shock and his lips were quivering. For an entire second Amy thought he was going to cry until he spoke. "The commander just found out that... they just found a... there was another..."

"Shadow, what is it?"

Shadow swallowed and with that, he stood up straight, his eyes now full of strength and power. "They just found out that Dr. Gerald Robotnik had another diary, and I'm going to go find it, whatever it takes."


	7. And the Journey Begins

**Chapter 7: And the Journey Begins**

Apparently, 'no matter what' meant 'there is no way you are leaving this house in this condition' to Amy Rose. Shadow had been awake for hours, waiting for Amy to fall asleep. He could still hear her rummaging through various belongings of his, still shocked and curious at his countless items. She'd gasp in amazement ever so often at the levels of beauty in the craftsmanship in some of the things she'd look at, which always made Shadow smile. Although she had been exploring for hours, she still hadn't found the end of all his possessions. Like every night before, she was going to grow weary soon and go to bed. Her determination amazed Shadow.

It had been only a few hours since the call, but Amy had already taken full precautions to make sure he wouldn't escape. Upon learning that the journey to find the missing diary could take Shadow across the entire continent shocked Amy, and shocked Shadow even more when she went into a sort of "maternal mode." Now she wouldn't let him out of her sight for longer than five minutes. He had tried to leave several times, but in his current position, it wasn't very difficult for Amy to stop Shadow. She had even made sure to set up his security system on every door to make sure he wouldn't leave. And now here he was in bed waiting for Amy to fall asleep so he could escape. He valued his friendship with Amy and her opinion, but this was something he had to do.

Even with the books and countless gadgets he had in his room, Shadow was bored of waiting. He had read through all of the books he owned, played with all the gadgets countless times, and now he was being driven crazy by the waiting. And yet that was all he could do. She was staying up quite longer tonight than usual. Obviously, she too was waiting for the same reason he was. But he knew he was just a hint more patient than she was, plus he could stay up a lot longer than she could. Sighing, he grabbed his iPod and turned it on. He changed it to some of his quieter music and laid down, waiting for her to be finished.

Eventually Amy came in to check on him and as soon as he heard her footsteps in his direction he closed his eyes. The door opened and light poured into the room. He listened with a calm expression and deep sleep-like breathes as she stood there looking at him. She sighed and closed the door shut, the security system telling the house that Shadow's door had been closed. He opened his eyes cautiously and listened as her footsteps went from the hallway to the light switch and back to the guest room she was staying in.

His ears pricked up as he listened carefully to what she was doing. She walked into her room closing the door behind her. He listened as she gathered a pair of pajamas and went into the bathroom. His patience began to wear thin during her shower and when she was drying her hair, but the wait afterwards was much shorter. After drying her hair she went straight to bed. She fell asleep soon afterwards and as soon as Shadow heard her sleeping breathes he got out of bed. It was time to leave.

All he needed was the chaos emerald by his bed-side. Shadow grabbed it and walked to his window. Although Amy had activated the security system on all the doors, she had failed to realize or activate the system on the windows. Obviously, she believed him incapable to escape via the window. He slid it open as quietly as he possibly could and looked down. Shadow put the emerald away (using a chaos energy storage technique) and stepped up to the window seal. Despite still being in pain from his wound, Shadow knew this would be no problem. His determination would lead him to his destination.

Shadow inhaled deeply and growling he whispered, "It's now or never." And he jumped. Head first he flew down, glaring in order to concentrate. The wind filled Shadow with energy and he began to smile. He hadn't felt this much joy since... well, who knew when! All Shadow knew was that this was going to be an easy mission. Looking ahead, Shadow spotted the flagpole. He narrowed his eyes and outstretched his arms, his hands grabbing it with ease. Gravity and his grip made him twirl around the pole several times before flipping down and landing on the ground. Shadow smiled and shot off.

The wind that whipped past him was exhilarating. Shadow was smiling as he ran faster. Had there ever been a greater thing to do than running? Not to Shadow at least. He could think to himself when he ran and when he ran at the speeds he did, it felt as if he was on the top of the world. If he kept up this pace, he'd get there in no time... well, if he knew where he was going. All he knew was a few clues of to where Gerald Robotnik's grave was, and hopefully, he'd have a few clues there. Other than that, he knew nothing of where he was to go.

Shadow sighed and shrugged to himself, then nodded. In that case, it was off to Sapphire City! Smiling to himself, Shadow nodded. This was going to be easy, and he was sure there was going to be no problem! That was until his stomach started to ache. Shadow gasped at the severity of the pain, and within seconds was standing in place holding his stomach in pain. Gritting his teeth as he continued to walk, he looked up at the sky. In retrospect, perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to jump off a building with a wound that hadn't totally healed. His biggest hope was that it wouldn't start bleeding again. Shadow took a deep breath in, looking back at the city. At least he was out... now he just had to keep going.

The green hills seemed to roll on forever as Shadow walked onward. It was strange how such luscious green was beyond such dull gray of a city. Two completely different worlds side by side, but almost totally unaware of each other... it was surreal in a sense. Looking around with endless questions of what was going to happen on this journey flowed into his mind as he continued. Would it really be so easy in his current condition? Where was this so called mysterious diary located? And even when he found it, what would he do with it? He sighed as looked ahead. He needed to clear his thoughts.

Although his better judgment advised against it, Shadow began to run again. Instantly he felt the endless weight of worry lifted from his shoulders, and a new sense of freedom made him feel even lighter. He sped up and as the wind whistled around him, he couldn't help but look up at the stars. They were so beautiful tonight. Shadow gazed up in amazement for just a second before looking forward once again. As long as he didn't worry, there would be no problem on this trip. Hey, if he just kept on going, he would get there and back before Amy even noticed he was gone.

Unfortunately for him, his stomach began to hurt again. His breathing pattern became unusually irregular and somehow his vision began to become blurry. He cringed and knowing there was no other choice, stopped running. He couldn't just walk now, he had to stop and catch his breath.

After walking for a few more minutes, Shadow found a place he could sit down. Looking down at the bandages around his stomach, a horrible realization came. Despite him being sure that there was no possibility of such thing happening again, his wound had opened up a little bit and was now bleeding again. It sure had been stupid to run so much tonight... but he had to get there as soon as possible. He just had to know what was in there... it could change his whole outlook on life.

Shadow looked up at the sky and sighed. There was always something trying to go against him in life, and it was always so hard to continue. Sometimes, he wished that life was a little less vigorous. It was as if, sometimes, the entire world wanted him to suffer. As if no one or nothing wanted him to feel the slightest bit of peace, and sometimes, like today, he wished it wasn't that way. Truthfully, he wished at times that he was a normal hedgehog. He wished he could go day to day without worrying if he was going to die or planning how he was going to take the next target down. It was just purely unfair at times, how hard life was on him. And yet... it was what made the good times all the sweeter.

Unlike all of those "normal" people he knew and associated with, he had come to learn and appreciate the simple things in life. All of those others just stood around always asking for more, while Shadow had to suffer to gain what he needed and wanted. He had put his blood, sweat, and tears into what he did, and because of it he was strong. He had nothing but respect for those that went through a sort of "refiner's fire", as he put it. There were few left in today's world... but those who had to claw to the top were the strongest for a reason. Silently, he closed his eyes with a grin.

The bitter taste of sorrow had only sweetened his joy, and that in itself was giving him energy to go on. The smile still present on his countenance, Shadow stood up. It was time to go. Taking in a deep breath as he looked down, Shadow gritted his teeth. It would be best to just let it heal over time. Despite having a chaos emerald, he wanted to wait and use it only if there was an emergency. In his case, this wasn't quite an emergency. Shadow looked ahead with the burning intensity blazing in his eyes. He took one step forward when something suddenly grasped onto his ear, nearly flinging him back as an angry voice reached his hearing.

"Oh no you don't, Shadow!"

Shadow's heart stopped for a second as he turned to her. For the first time in his life he was almost afraid. It was as if her soul was on fire and it seemed as if she was ready to kill him. "A-Amy, I-"

"Shadow the Hedgehog, did you honestly think I was going to let you to leave! Did you think I was actually asleep, do you think I'm that stupid? Shadow! Look at you; you're in no condition to be off by yourself! Besides, what if you would have starting bl-" Her eyes grew to the size of grapefruit when she saw his stomach, "OH MY GOSH! SHADOW!"

"Amy, it's okay, I-"

"Shadow you're bleeding again! Oh, hold on a second," she said, letting go of his ear. He shook his head for a second, looking at Amy again to see that she suddenly had a first aid kit in her hand. His eyes were wide with confusion, but she spoke again, "Hold on..." she put the kit down and looked up at him, fire burning in her eyes. "Lift your arms up!" Shadow was a little surprised at how assertive she was being, but he complied. Carefully, her gloved fingers tore the bandages from his waist.

When all of the bandages were off, Amy gasped. "Oh Shadow... this is why I didn't want you to leave. A chaos energy encased bullet hit you, so it's going to take you a long to heal. If you over work yourself it's going to keep on opening up again. Shadow..." Ever so carefully, she touched his wound. "Don't you want it to heal?"

Somehow, Shadow found his cheeks burning red. "Well... of course I do! I just want to... I need to... I..."

Amy sighed as she looked at him. "I know..." she whispered, grabbing a new set of bandages. "You just shouldn't have gone off by yourself. Did it ever occur to you that if you would have asked me to come with you I would have let you go? Of course, you probably didn't want me to go with you in the first place." Shadow raised his eyebrows as she began to wrap the new bandages around him.

"You... would have let me go if I asked you to come too?" Shadow asked in disbelief.

"Yes..." she sighed, "But like I said earlier, you probably want to do this by yourself, huh?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow again, a little thrown off by the unusual pessimism in her eyes. He didn't want her to be sad or lonely again... and he did enjoy her company... "Actually... I'd like it if I had company for once. Otherwise, I may end up killing myself. Besides, it's not like I can run the entire way there."

Amy's eyes lit up like the sky during sunrise. "Really!"

Shadow nodded, "Sure, why not?"

A look of pure happiness took over Amy's entire body as she finished dressing his wound. Her smile wide and her mood jolly, Amy spoke, "Well thank you." Her job now finished, Amy looked into Shadow's eyes with excitement brimming from her every pore. "So now my only question now is how did you escape? I had the security system on all the doors, and even the security system for chaos energies was activated. How did you get out?"

Shadow let out an odd sort of chuckle as he looked down. "I... jumped out my window."

Amy did the weirdest and most furious expression he had ever seen, and not knowing what else to do, Shadow laughed. It made Amy jump in surprise, but she soon let out a giggle or two. The silly laughs soon ended and Shadow put on a more serious face. "Anyways... we need to decide what to do. I feel like going for a little while longer, what about you?"

"I could go a little while... as long as we walk, okay?"

"Sure than." he said, turning in the direction he had been traveling. "Let's get going then, okay?"

"No problem. Just one condition." Amy demanded.

"Sure. What do you need?"

Amy looked at him carefully, "A question real quick. Are you okay without one of your bracelets?" Shadow nodded as a response and Amy grabbed his wrist. "Hold on a second," Carefully, Amy took off Shadow's bracelets (otherwise known as inhibitor rings) and then took one of hers off. "Hold your wrist a little higher." Wordlessly Shadow complied. Amy grabbed her bracelet and put it on Shadow's wrist, then put his on hers. She smiled, "There."

Shadow looked at her bracelet now on his wrist. It was a little thicker than his and just a hint heavier, but it was also a bit warmer. Curiously, he looked at her.

She smiled, "I've never once lost my bracelets. Never. Now listen carefully, cause I'm not going to repeat myself." she paused for a second and Shadow nodded for Amy to continue. "If you ever get the idea to go off by yourself I'm going to find you. As long as you have that on, you and me are going to be inseparable, alright?"

Shadow looked down at the bracelet again and grinned. "Okay."

A mischievous grin crawled onto Amy's face and she pointed a finger in his face, "Now promise me you won't take it off, okay?"

He chuckled and lifted his wrist up, "Promise."

"Good." Amy smiled, then grabbed Shadow's arm, leading him forward. "Now let's get going. We need to find that diary!" Shadow nodded and grinned. Maybe... life wasn't so hard on him all the time.


	8. The Mint Village

** Chapter 8: The Mint Village**

When Shadow woke up, he instantly realized and recognized something that he wasn't quite used to since he never had to wait so long for such a thing. Looking down at his stomach, he growled. "Stop growling at me." He commanded, a little bit ornery from the lack of proper nutrition. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Shadow folded his arms. This was ridiculous... why was he so hungry all of a sudden?

Looking around, Shadow soon spotted Amy. She was sound asleep in a spot that she had spent at least ten minutes arranging to be "nice and comfy" so she could sleep. Judging from the past few days experience of her staying at his house, waking her up wasn't a good idea. Last time he had tried that... no, he didn't like to think about it. His head STILL hurt from her little game of "Whack a Hedgehog." Shaking his head, Shadow stood up. Maybe it would be okay if he sneaked away for just a little while to get something. He had bucket-loads of money... and he already knew what foods Amy liked.

Shadow began to walk off, not really caring if Amy heard him. What would she do if she did wake up? Yell at him? She was probably just as hungry as he was. With that thought in mind, Shadow headed off in a quick walking pace. He could get here and back before Amy knew it.

The town Shadow saw coming up wasn't very large. It wasn't big enough for anything like those huge movie theaters that could play twenty movies at once, but was big enough to have a few Wal-Mart like stores. Shadow hummed for a second as he walked, wondering what he should get. Personally, Shadow was in the mood for something simple that didn't require any putting together. He shrugged as he sighed. He'd figure it out when he got there.

Walking through the town was quite different than what he was used to in Station Square. The town was so small that you could get from place to place without the use of vehicles, so most of the people he saw would be walking down the streets with a grin. They'd look at Shadow and smile and say, "Hello!" which was something he was not used to. Most people who saw him on the street would try to walk past him as fast as possible. It was a little... different, if that was the right word.

Looking up at the cloudy sky, Shadow sighed. He liked the small town in a way. It was quiet and peaceful... something he wasn't used to. In a sense, it was almost something he had always wanted. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't realize someone was walking next to him until the person cleared their throat.

Shadow jumped and looked at the person, calming a bit when he recognized the emerald eyes. Amy smiled, "Did I scare you?"

Shadow let out a "ha" as he looked ahead. "You wish."

Amy grinned and she too looked ahead, "You were scared."

Shadow raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. She turned to him with a large grin that made Shadow chuckle. He shook his head and looked forward again. "So, when did you wake up?"

"Just after you left, actually. I let you leave because I needed to change." Shadow looked up and down at Amy's outfit for a second and nodded. She was wearing black capris and a purple shirt that had a design of countless flowers. She had shoes that were also the same violet color, and a black headband to finish the outfit. Shadow smiled in approval and Amy grinned. "Well anyway... I saw that you left, and I'm pretty sure I know why. I could hear your stomach from where I was."

"Really?" Shadow asked, confusion filling him.

Amy nodded, and Shadow looked away in amazement. How in the world had... ugh, now wasn't the time to worry of such silly things. He was too hungry. "So," Amy spoke, "Where do you want to eat?"

Shadow hummed and closed his eyes, stopping so he could think. Amy simply watched as he contemplated the simple question. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and smiled. "There's a local burger joint over there. Judging from the expressions of those that ordered food and are coming out, I'm guessing it's pretty good."

They began to walk again as Amy looked at him with confusion in her expression. "How did you see their faces from all the way over here? That's at least two blocks away."

He chuckled and ruffled her hair for a second, "Ultimate Life form, ultimate vision."

"Oh..." Amy sighed, "That makes sense. Y'know, I've never actually had the chance to ask something."

"And what would that be?"

"Well," Amy paused, "What all does being the Ultimate Life form actually mean? I mean, I know that you can live for a long time... but what else does it do for you?"

"Good question." Shadow sighed and nodded. "I don't know if I actually understand everything about myself, but I do understand quite a few of my capabilities. First of all, I'm supposed to be able to live forever unless of course, someone kills me. Although I'm not quite sure I'd live forever..." he spaced off for a second, then returned to reality and continued. "I have high levels of chaos energy in my body, which makes me be able to do many chaos moves naturally and easily. Also because of that, I heal faster than normal Mobians and I am able to process knowledge and information faster than almost anyone." He paused, "I am able to transform into Super Shadow with the aid of the seven chaos emeralds and perhaps the most obvious fact, I am able to run at incredibly fast speeds. I am also quite strong."

Amy smiled, "I knew most of that... but is there anything else you know?"

Shadow shrugged as he looked ahead and walked a little faster. "Well there is more, but it's just little details. Boring stuff." Now at the restaurant, Shadow held the door open for Amy and walked in after she stepped inside. "That's why I want to find that journal. I'm sure it will tell me things that I myself don't even know."

"I bet that will be cool." Amy said, then turned to face a young cat who was wearing a colorful green and white uniform.

The cat smiled and her ears pricked up, "Hi, and welcome to Mint Village! May I seat you two?" Shadow nodded, and the cat continued. "Great!" she walked over to the little podium and grabbed two menus, then turned back. "I'll be your waitress today!" she said with joy in her voice, leading them to a table with raised seats. When they sat down, she spoke once again, "Do you two want anything to drink?"

Amy looked at the menu for a second and nodded to herself, "Sprite please!"

"Lemonade." Shadow sighed, putting the menu down.

"Alrighty!" She said, "I'll be back in a minute! If you need anything, Veronica's the name!"

The enthusiastic cat walked off, and Shadow let out a "ha" as he closed his eyes and folded his arms. "Well... she seemed enthusiastic."

Amy looked back for just a second before she nodded in agreement. "Yes she was. But I think that's a good thing. It's much better to be optimistic than to be... well, pessimistic."

"True." Shadow sighed, looking at the menu once again.

Amy did the same, opening the flaps to see what was available. She easily spotted a food that she wanted, and it made her realize how hungry she was. Quietly, she glanced over her menu to look at Shadow. He was still looking at his, a determined expression on his face. Setting it down, she couldn't help but smile. As always, he looked ready for anything, even if whatever was going to happen had absolutely no danger in it whatsoever.

Putting down his menu, Shadow looked at her. "Interesting place. I like how they have so many ice cream and shake flavors. I think I may try some after dinner."

"Oh, they have shakes?" Amy looked at the menu once again, "I didn't notice. What flavors do they have?" She asked as she opened the menu and flipped through its pages.

"Mint, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cherry, coffee, lemon poppy seed, cake batter, and blue moon. Up to five mix-ins can be added, including Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter cups or Reese's pieces, Kit-Kats, M&M's, Thin Mint cookies, Twix, Oreo, and whatever else they have." Shadow, making Amy stop and put the menu down. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Were you looking at the menu just barely?"

Shadow shook his head slightly, "Photographic memory." he said while tapping his head with his index finger.

Amy widened her eyes again. "Wow." she whispered as the cheerful cat, Veronica, walked over with a tray in hand.

"Here ya go!" she said, giving the drinks to their respective owners. Amy smiled at the waitress as she pulled out her note pad. "Have you two decided what you want yet?"

Amy nodded, "Yes, I'd like a chilli dog with cheese and a side order of fries please."

Shadow nodded as well, "Double cheeseburger with fries."

Veronica smiled and closed the notepad. "I'll have it ready in no time! Is there anything else you need me to get for you?" the hedgehogs shook their heads, and with that she took the menus and walked off.

Inhaling deeply, Amy sighed. "Just curious... within those thirty seconds that you were reading your menu, how much of it did you actually read?"

"The full thing." Shadow replied coolly, sincerely acting as if it was no big deal.

"How? That thing was at least... oh right. Ultimate Life form." She sighed, folding her arms.

"Why do you think I have so many books? I go through them so fast that I can barely keep up with myself." he said, taking a drink of lemonade. "I like being able to read so fast though. It lets get through many books in a short amount of time."

Amy hummed in agreement, then was silent. It stayed that way for several minutes until the food came. When it came, Amy was just as hungry as Shadow had been, and she wasted no time starting. The first bite filled her mouth with warm flavor, and it made her grin. The food tasted absolutely amazing! The grin on her face large, she continued to eat until all of her food was gone. After she ate her last fry, she quietly wiped her mouth and looked at Shadow. He had finished before her, and was now patiently waiting for her to finish.

Minutes later, Veronica came back. "Would you two like anything for dessert?"

"Let's see... I'll try your signature shake, the mint Oreo shake please." Shadow told her.

"Uh... chocolate ice cream cone?" Amy questioned, not quite knowing if they had such a thing.

"It will be just a minute. Would you also like me to bring you the bill?"

"Yes please." Shadow said.

As Veronica walked off, Shadow turned to Amy. "Did you intentionally get the chilli dog, or did you just get it because it was the first thing you saw?"

A little confused, Amy shrugged, "I don't know what you mean."

"Chilli dogs are Sonic's favorite food. You of all people would know that, correct?"

The thought hit Amy hard, and the realization almost made her gasp. She hadn't meant to do such a thing, honestly she hadn't, but the very action made sense. Was she really so obsessed that she even did these kind of things without thinking? Sighing, she hung her head. He had already broken her heart... why was she still thinking about him? She was hopeless...

A hand over hers broke her out of her daze, and a smile filled her heart with hope. "Amy, it's okay. I was just asking. Don't worry about it!"

Her heartbeat was speeding up as she looked at the black and red hedgehog, and her cheeks flushed red. She looked down to avoid his gaze, his cheeks also flushing red (although she was sure that he didn't quite know why). Suddenly, a voice cooed, "Aw!" The two looked over to see Veronica holding their ice cream treats. "How sweet!"

They both pulled their hands away as quickly as possible, making Veronica giggle. She handed them their treats, then handed Shadow the bill. He opened it, glanced at it, then using his chaos powers, conjured up several rings. One of them had a small twenty engraved on it, while three others were plain. There were also several small coins to cover the cents.

Veronica grabbed the money and placed it in the paying bill, then smiled. "Thank you for coming to Mint Village!"

Shadow stood up, "Thank you for the meal."

The cat smiled playfully one last time before walking off. Shadow smiled, then turned to the table and conjured up another few rings and placed them on the table. Amy looked at them and smiled. Shadow had left a generous tip of about thirty rings. Figured. He had money to spare.

After leaving the restaurant, the two continued to walk in the direction that Sapphire City was in. Shadow would slowly drink his shake, while Amy would continued to lick at her ice cream cone without stopping. When she finally finished, she ate the remainder of her cone. The last bite had a little ice cream at the bottom, and it made her sigh a pleasurable sigh. She glanced at Shadow again with a grin.

"So... what now?" She asked quietly, messing with her hands as they walked.

Shadow took another drink before he spoke. "We just need to keep on heading to Sapphire City. That's where the Professor is buried, so hopefully there is a hint or two there."

"I see..." Amy sighed, taking her Piko Piko hammer out from her excessive boredom. She threw it forward-as there was no one there in front of her-and watched it for just a second. Before it hit the ground, it disappeared and was suddenly in her hand again. She repeated the gesture several times and Shadow silently watched. "Well... what kind of hints are you looking for? Do we even know where to look for the journal in the first place?"

Shadow shook his head. "I'm totally clueless... but visiting the Professor's grave is the best place to start. I've never actually visited it before, but visiting should give us at least some idea." Shadow said.

Amy nodded one last time before looking forward. "Okay than, let's get going!" She exclaimed, holding her hammer high above her head. Shadow looked at her with his eyebrows raised, making Amy giggle. "Heh... it'd be a good idea to put this away first, huh?" She asked, doing just as she had said. "Wouldn't want to scare anyone." she said, smiling as Shadow chuckled and shook his head.

"Your enthusiasm never ceases to amaze me Rose..." he said, holding his now empty shake up for a second. He looked at it for a second before saying, "Chaos break." The cup broke apart, disintegrating into nothingness. Amy let out an awe of amazement, which made Shadow grin. "Did you ever realize your hammer abilities are all a form of chaos energy?" He asked her, filling her with excitement.

"Really?" Amy asked, followed by Shadow nodding. She grinned, "Does that possibly mean I could ever learn how to use chaos control, or any of that other cool stuff you do?"

Shadow shrugged, "It's possible."

Amy laughed, lifting her arms up. "That is so cool!"

Shadow grinned and patted the girl on the back. For the first time in his life, Shadow liked someone... and unbeknownst to Shadow, that girl liked him too.


	9. Once Again I hide Inside

**Chapter 9: Once Again I Hide Inside**

Curiously, Amy looked at the clock. Shadow had said he would meet her at the ice cream shop in an hour, but for Amy, that was a big problem at the moment. Not only was there an entire hour until the promised time, but Amy had finished everything she needed to do. She had bought several supplies for their trip, a map that would lead them to Sapphire City, and she had called Cream to let her know how the trip was going.

She shrugged to herself. Although Shadow had specifically told her to wait, she didn't quite feel like doing so anymore. Everything was finished... so what was the point? Besides, wouldn't he be a little happy to know that everything was already done? Without another thought Amy stood up and left the shop, throwing away the cup that had held her ice cream.

The town was much larger than the last town they had visited, by so much in fact that it was not a humble town, but a bustling city complete with several large parks and a mall. Amy had already been all around the city and seen the stores that interested her, as well as bought a few things for Shadow. She had already stored them via chaos energy, and was now making her way back to the clearing that they had stayed at. Although she had asked Shadow if they could stay in a hotel several times, Shadow still insisted that sleeping under the stars was a much better choice.

Sapphire city was only a few days worth of a journey from where they were now. The only thing that troubled Amy was the weather lately. There had been many clouds in the sky despite the speed they had been traveling. Although Amy brought it up many times, Shadow always told her that it wouldn't be a problem. She reluctantly agreed to his words, but deep down she was still worried. It was beginning to lightly rain by the time that Amy came close to where they had been.

Amy looked ahead, not realizing how close she was. She stopped for just a second to look around when something made her heart skip a beat. Something flew across her path past several bushes and trees in front of her, making her jump as well. When nothing happened afterward, Amy quietly walked forward. She hid behind a bush, ducking down behind a small section of the bush that had many holes and such in it. When she adjusted and looked at what she saw, she nearly fell over. What she saw shocked her more than anything she had ever seen in her entire life.

She had found Shadow. And Shadow was dancing.

It was not anything like break-dancing like Sonic liked to do, but it was graceful. No, the word graceful was shameful for such a performance. This was beyond any level of perfection that Amy could ever hope to reach, but Amy didn't care. She just wanted to watch.

The way how each step was perfectly in place and every movement flowed so well was breath-taking. She watched how he twirled around, moving faster with each second. He soon stopped, but jumped forward in a strange type of leap. After he landed, he continued doing several more advanced dance moves. Amy's eyes continued to grow wide as the amazement in her soul grew larger and larger.

The next set of moves looked like it was a combination of dance moves and combat attacks as well. Perhaps this was one reason of why he was so good at fighting. He probably practiced all the time... and it was obvious right here. He threw his fist forward; suddenly tumbling forward to summer-salt and jump back up, kicking forward with a strong attack. After that, he flipped backward with a single bound, landing on his hands and onto his feet with ease. Finally, he turned his back to Amy, punched the air a few times, did one last twirl, and bowed. He had finished.

Everything that Amy had just seen totally lacked her of common sense and reason and without another moment's hesitation; she shot up and clapped her hands as loud as she could. "Woo-hoo! That was awesome!"

Shadow instantly froze in place, and his heart stopped for an entire second. Hidden from her sight, Shadow's cheeks flushed to the color of the stripes on his body. He slowly stood up, swallowing as a wave of embarrassment engulfed him whole. He turned slightly to her and was barely able to ask, "Did... you just see all of that?"

"Well I'm sure I didn't see all of it, but what I did see was amazing! I think it was-" and suddenly, Shadow turned around and shot off full-speed. Amy stopped mid-sentence, completely thrown off with what he had done. When she realized what had happened, she cried out, "Shadow! Wait!" And ran after him.

* * *

><p>Shadow's cheeks were still red by the time he was out of ear-shot of Amy. How could that have happened? He was sure she wouldn't have come as early as she had, much less did he expect her to come in the middle of his... well... dancing. Putting a hand on his forehead and thrown off from the unusual emotion that he wasn't used to, Shadow sighed. "Of course she walked in on me... I probably looked like such a pansy... ugh..." Shadow thought, running forward. No, he wasn't going to cry... but he wasn't going to go back until he had calmed down. Or maybe... he shouldn't go back at all...<p>

He remembered that even after he had become friends with Rouge and Omega, he had still kept to himself. It was only when he had become Sonic's friend that he actually began to show his emotions around others. And yet... he was almost regretting ever opening up to Amy. Or was he? He didn't know, for he was much to flustered to even think straight. Gritting his teeth together, he stopped running.

What was going on? Why was he so embarrassed about this? As soon as he asked himself the question the answer struck him. Because he was Shadow the Hedgehog. He wasn't supposed to be jolly. He wasn't supposed to smile. And he was definitely not supposed to dance. Looking at the ground, Shadow's expression died down to that of numbness.

Sure, he could smile once in awhile, such as when he was around Rouge, Omega, or Sonic, but what was the point besides that? It was a wasted effort. Even memories held no reason to smile for Shadow. Smiling had always felt meaningless to Shadow... or had it? It had been such a long time since then. He didn't know what he had even thought or felt during those times. He remembered everything but the joy. Perhaps it was meant to be that way. Even though he was a "hero", as Sonic had said, he still didn't deserve the happiness that others did. He had done far too much evil in his existence...

Maybe it was time for him to return to that shell he had hidden in for so long. It was lonely and cold, but at least he wouldn't be a fool. But... maybe he already was. He didn't know anymore. He had been alone for far too long, and he no longer knew what he needed.

He sighed and leaned against a tree. The decision was his. Now all he had to do was wait for Amy to catch up. It wouldn't take long, he knew that. She was persistent, that was for sure... but by how much he knew not. He folded his arms. He wouldn't smile, but he would let her come along. Besides... she'd probably try to bash his skull in again if he didn't let her come...

* * *

><p>How far off had Shadow ran? Was he really going to leave over something like her seeing him dance? It was ridiculous! Especially since she had honestly believed it to be the most beautiful dancing she had ever seen in her life. His running away was so out of his character... if he was annoyed or embarrassed, he usually didn't say so or even show it (unless it was someone like Sonic). Why was he running anyways? It was something she was used to with Sonic, but with Shadow, it confused her, but by much more than what she was used to.<p>

She wished that she had followed that original instinct to wait a little longer for Shadow. Yes she may have become bored, but at least Shadow wouldn't have run off. Growling and becoming weary of running for so long, she closed her eyes, stopped running, and yelled out, "SHADOW!" Why did he have to run away from her? It reminded her too much of Sonic.

Opening her eyes slowly, she looked at the ground. Perhaps it would be better off to just go home. Chasing someone going that fast rarely ever ended in success... and she knew that for a fact. Returning her gaze to a higher location, her eyes set upon Shadow, leaning against a tree with his arms folded. She jumped; surprised that she had found the red and black hedgehog. Trying not to smile, she spoke.

"Shadow! Oh, I'm glad I found you! I thought I'd never be able to catch up to you! You really-"

"Took you long enough." His voice was cold and rock hard and it hit her with such a force that she stopped mid-sentence. He opened his eyes and began to walk off.

What had just happened? She hadn't heard him with that dull of a tone since... well, before the two year gap that everyone had suddenly stopped talking to one another. Before she could even move, he spoke again. "Are you coming or not?"

She looked at him, a bit of sadness coming into her expression. Sighing, she nodded. "Yeah..." she whispered.

"Then come on. We don't have forever." He started walking again, no signs of remorse in his soul.

This felt almost exactly the same as when Sonic yelled at her. "Yeah..." she sighed in agreement to what he had said, slowly following Shadow as she looked at the ground. Not knowing what else to do, Amy kept silent as they walked through the trees and bushes. All Amy knew was that being quiet was the best choice.

After a few minutes, Amy began to become a little bored. Letting her mind wander for just a fraction of a second, a question was formed. She knew that the rest of the day would be spent traveling, so she knew that now was as good as ever to ask the question that had come into her mind. Gathering up all the courage she had in her heart, she spoke up, despite not feeling very courageous.

"I know this isn't the best time to ask... and I'm guessing you don't want to answer it... but why were you dancing?" Amy asked, readying herself for the worst.

As expected, Shadow was silent for several seconds. He sighed, and shrugged for a second, making Amy cringe. Half expecting to be attacked, she felt a little surprised when she heard the answer. "Because Maria used to dance all the time."

"Oh..." Amy sighed, the burden on her shoulders a little lighter. She looked up at the sky, thoughts running crazy throughout her mind. Carefully, she began to hold her hands together as they walked on. They didn't speak another word to each other the entire day.


	10. The Glass Rose

**Chapter 10: The Glass Rose**

The rage too much for her to handle anymore and the insanity coming closer with each second, Amy pulled out her hammer and with as much power as she could possibly gather, brought it down on Shadow's foot. He didn't yell or scream in pain, but he simple looked up at her. She was panting, mostly because she had been struggling to keep up, but that didn't surprise Shadow. Putting as much energy and emotion into his voice as he possibly could, Shadow whispered in monotone, "Ow."

Amy clenched her teeth. That had been the last straw. "OH THAT'S IT!" she yelled, pulling up her hammer and putting it away as she stomped off.

Shadow put on a confused expression as she began to pace back and forth. "Why did you-"

"I have had it up to here with you, Shadow the hedgehog! Not once since I saw you dance have you actually said more than five syllables to me at the same time!" Amy yelled, stopping Shadow mid-sentence. In his surprise, he let her continue, "You have become this reclusive no good inconsiderate idiot who won't even bare to talk to me for even a mere sixty seconds. And for what, me seeing you dancing! That is ridiculous!"

Shadow looked at the ground, feeling just a hint of shame. "And here I was thinking you were more mature than Sonic, but hey, everyone makes mistakes! I just made a great mistake that ended in what, me realizing that once again I am wasting my time! You're just as bad as he is..." Amy growled, folding her arms and turning away from Shadow.

Furrowing his brow, Shadow looked at the ground, "Don't compare me to-"

"To Sonic!" Amy yelled, wiping back with fire raging in her eyes. "Let me tell you something. The day you are able to be embarrassed or hurt without having to turn into some kind of mime is the day that it rains stereos shaped like Jared Beaver's hair! Did you realize that on that day you had saved me from Eggman, Sonic had not only yelled at me where countless citizens could see me, but he also pushed me to the ground? And all that happened to you was me seeing you dance! And might I add, it was the best dancing I have seen in my entire life, but no, that is too weird and stupid looking that you need to go all emo about it! I was able to get over it, why won't you? If it wasn't for the fact that you were hurt, I would have left several days ago. And since you are almost better now, I might just leave since you are driving me insane! You just... UGH!"

Shadow was speechless. Although he had pretty much been speechless for a week now, he actually didn't know what to say this time. Every time Amy had talked to him (in which he failed to respond); Shadow had a perfectly legitimate answer that he never spoke. This time, there were no words that came to mind. Amy was still glaring at him, her teeth gritted. The fact that he could so clearly see her canines scared him a little, because that showed that she was not angry, but felt an emotion much stronger than that. Hate, perhaps?

Finally after several seconds, tears began to fill Amy's eyes. She twisted around, "Fine... I see how it is." She began to walk off again. Shadow looked at the ground, the guilt filling his heart in full. He didn't want her to feel sad, but he didn't want to end up looking like a fool. Silently as he searched his mind for a solution, Shadow followed. As he did, he heard her silently speak more.

"I don't know if you're ever mad at me or if you're happy, or if you even want me to be around you. I wish you'd actually talk again. But... you don't want to and I can't make you." Amy sighed, making Shadow look down at the ground yet again.

Why was he doing this? Although yes, he was still feeling idiotic for having let Amy see him, he really hated how doing this was hurting her. She was someone who loved to be around friends, and being ignored was something she hated. For most of her life that had been all she had ever known, and now was probably the worst time to do so. Even if he wanted to though, he had no idea what to say. He was far too nervous and far too hard-headed to negotiate to talking at the moment. If only he could tell her his thoughts without words...

"Shadow, do you even feel sad that I yelled at you? Or anything at all?" Amy asked, looking over her shoulder with no hint of her ever crying in sight. He nodded his gaze far off, making her sigh yet again.

How could he do such a task? He desperately wanted to talk to her, but he was so scared to do so. There had to be some way he could do it. Ideas and images sorted themselves out in his mind in order to find some answer. He didn't have a cell phone, so he couldn't text her. She didn't know sign-language, so that was an impossibility, and there was no way he was going to have one of her friends deliver a message for her. He didn't have any paper or pens either... what was he to do!

He growled to himself as he put his hands on his head. Everything he thought up was either too cheesy or impossible to do! It had to be something heart-felt and special. He did very much like Amy and her company, and he didn't want her to leave, but what else could he do? Amy Rose... he knew what type of things she liked, but he didn't know how to fit them altogether to be able to talk to her. His mind was in such chaos that he couldn't think straight...

That was it! The idea born from mixed words was a little childish and silly in his opinion, but perhaps it would work. For just a second, Shadow closed his eyes, excitement flooding his body into heavy but quick breaths. A large amount of chaos energy would be needed for the task. Although he could rely on the chaos energy within him, such a task that required so much would be far more dangerous than what he wished to go through. The last thing he wanted to do was open that wound again.

Sometimes, there would be natural "ponds" (as Shadow referred to it) where large amounts of chaos energy would be stored. Usually they were in places with lots of foliage and wild-life, or even bodies of water. Such places almost always had chaos energy within them. Luckily, being someone so skilled with the chaos arts, finding such riches in energy was not difficult. Shadow's eyes closed and his breathing slowed. He let the chaos energy inside his body take over and instantly, he ran off, leaving Amy far behind. She was yelling again, but he couldn't hear her. He couldn't even see where he was going, but he knew he was heading in the right direction.

The energy itself feeling as if it was beginning to flow into his body (after several minutes of running) Shadow eventually opened his eyes. A small pond surrounded by an unknown amount of trees was what his vision showed, making him smile. Yes, this was the perfect place. He looked down as he grinned, the chaos incantation fresh in his mind. Once again, he closed his eyes.

"Chaos form." He said in a strong voice, holding out his hands. The energy began to move towards a central point in between his hands, moving rather slowly. It was more energy than he had expected, and that made him quite pleased. Some of it swirled around in such a delicate way that soon, something happened. He had seen it only a few other times, and he always loved to see it too. The energy was now visible, swirling towards his hands in a beautiful array of pinks, greens, reds, blues, and so many other florescent colors that sparkled in the few rays of light that touched it. It was so breath-taking that he had to simply watch in awe, gaping at the unquestionable beauty the radiant sight held. Although he had seen it before, it had never been as beautiful as this.

Although it took awhile, there was now enough energy to finish what he had started. Taking a deep breath in, Shadow looked at the rippling colors in his hand. "Chaos heart-beat." He said, a clear image in his mind. The energy pulsed a few times, and suddenly began to compress into itself. The round shape was changing, now becoming narrow at the bottom, but still keeping a round shape at the top of its structure. Slowly, the bright light of the energy died down, and its true shape was finally revealed.

It was transparent and slightly tinted red, making Shadow nod to himself, as that was a sign that it had worked. The object was made of glass, but it seemed to breath and move, and amazingly it did! Although it had seemed like an odd idea in his mind, he was now holding a glass rose. It was in a budded state, and Shadow grinned at such a thought. It had worked!

When the small joy entered his heart, the flower opened. Although it was only a small opening, it made the flower almost seem happier. His breathes were heavy, but they were filled with a sense of accomplishment and happiness. Before he was allowed to admire his work another second, he heard footsteps and angry breathes behind him. She had come just in time.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, I am going to kill you!" Amy's voice called out, Shadow turning so he could see her. She had a few leaves stuck in her clothes and spines, and a furious expression had taken over her countenance. "When I'm done with you, you're going to be so messed up, you won't even be able to tie your shoes! I'm going to-" her eyes found the rose and she stopped. She walked a little closer with curious eyes, "What's..."

"This?" Shadow asked, holding it out. It was floating in between his hands, and that made Amy's eyes a little wider. It glowed slightly, and Shadow bit his lip before he began to speak. "It's... a glass rose. I made it for you." he said, the shyness and embarrassment suddenly taking over. He motioned it over to her, and it silently floated over. As she looked at it with amazement, he spoke once again. "Since you've been so mad about me not expressing myself, I decided to make this. It... shows my emotions in the form of a rose. It won't break if you drop it... so yeah."

As Amy's fingers wrapped around it, the expression of child-like curiosity growing. When she said nothing after holding it for a few seconds, Shadow turned around. What the heck had he been thinking! Like she'd ever like it; she probably thought he was an idiot! Oh now what was he going to do? He looked like some desperate moron who never had a friend in the world that was trying to-

"Shadow!" Amy said, stopping the worst case scenario rampage in his brain. He slowly turned, Amy's smile wide as she held the now budded rose close. "I love it! You have no reason to think otherwise. It's beautiful!"

His eyes wide, Shadow spoke, "You do?"

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?" she said in a joyful voice. The fear in his heart dying down, Shadow looked at the ground. She had loved it... thank heaven! A giggle escaping from Amy's mouth yet again, Shadow looked at her. "Come on!" she said as she began to walk off, "We need to go to that city!" Shadow let out a "ha" and nodded, following her as she walked off.

Amy began to hum after a while, and soon after, she yelled out, "Ah ha!" Shadow raised his eyebrows as she spoke, "Now I can talk to you about anything without any issues. I'll know how you'll be feeling, so the rest of the journey should be no problem!" she looked at Shadow, a peaceful smile resting on her face. "Right?"

Shadow looked at her for a second and smiled. He nodded, "Yeah."

The rose opened just a little bit in her hand, perking up in a new-found joy.


	11. The Journal

**Chapter 11: The Journal**

Before them laid the one thing that they never thought they would reach. A sense of joy and accomplishment filled Amy as she looked over Sapphire City, but something deeper than that filled Shadow. Curiosity, wonder, and most of all, anxiety filled his soul. What would he find down there? Never before had something like this filled Shadow. It felt like his stomach was doing flips inside of him, and it made him want to throw up. He had no idea of why he was so anxious, but he had a feeling that he'd soon find out.

"Shadow," Amy spoke, Shadow turning to see her looking a little worried. "Are you okay?"

Shadow half-heartedly nodded, looking down at the ground as he sighed. Honestly he wasn't, but there was no way he was going to tell Amy that, but of course, Amy just raised her eyebrows and let out a simple 'ha'. Although they had started talking more, Amy still liked to refer to her "secret weapon".

"Let's just see something now," she said, taking the glass rose out in the same method that she always grabbed her hammer. Silence followed or a few seconds before she hummed. "Shadow, there's no reason to be nervous, right? We're just going to see the doctor's grave, that's all."

"Yeah…" he sighed before he looked forward yet again. All he had to do was take a step forward and they'd be on their way. Shadow took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. One step.

Amy looked at him carefully for a second before she looked down at the city once more. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. If he wasn't going to go, she was. Without another word, she began to walk off. Silently Shadow followed.

"So Shadow, is there anything in particular you're hoping is in the journal?" Amy asked, putting her hands behind her head in a casual manner.

Shadow shrugged, "Not sure."

Amy glanced back, "Really?"

"Really."

Amy sighed and looked forward yet again, "Huh. I'd expect you to hope for something about Maria. You know, like a last goodbye note. Something like a love note?"

"Why would something Maria wrote be in Dr. Robotnik's journal?" He asked. Amy shrugged and Shadow frowned, "No, not a love note. Maria was like a sister to me, nothing more." He paused for a second. "No, Maria was my sister." He said with certainty in his voice.

"Really? I thought you liked her."

He shook his head, "She was my best friend and my sister, but I didn't like her like that."

"I see…" Amy whispered, looking up at the sky as she thought of the ARK. "Say Shadow, what was Maria like?"

Shadow looked up at Amy, breaking free from his stupor of thought. It had been a long time since he had told anybody about Maria, and the question surprised him a bit. Although it should have been expected, the words had thrown him off. He looked up at Amy carefully, expecting her to turn around. When no such thing occurred, he continued instead.

"Maria was very kind and selfless in everything she did. Even though she was sick all the time because of her disease, she always put others before herself, especially me. I never understood it, and I still may not fully understand it today… but I do know that she was my best friend." Shadow sighed, looking up at the sky once again. "We spent every day together doing all kinds of things. Sometimes we'd read books together, sometimes we would draw pictures together, or as you should know now, we would sometimes dance together. Only now do I realize how much I took it for granted…"

Amy nodded, "I see… I would have loved to meet her."

"I think she would have liked to meet you too." Shadow whispered softly, "If she was still alive, I believe she'd be about… sixty-eight right now? Yes, about that old."

Amy glanced back at him again, "So, she'd be like, a grandma's age?"

Shadow smiled slightly, "Yes, she'd be like a grandma's age. In fact, I'm sure that if she was still alive, she probably would be a grandma. She always talked about getting married one day…" he trailed off, looking up at the sky as he buried himself in thoughts.

Amy smiled at the thought. Just like almost every girl Amy had ever known or heard of, Maria wanted to one day find her prince charming. In a sense, it made her feel closer to Maria. Amy one day wanted to find the man she could forever be with and love. Of course, she had always thought that the man would be Sonic, but she knew better know. Silently, she asked the question of whom to herself. The first image in her head made her heart skip a beat, as it was the black hedgehog she suddenly imagined being married to. Her cheeks flushed red and Amy shook her head. Why would Shadow ever want to be married to her? She was supposed to be the 'annoying one'.

Amy looked down at the ground in front of her, sighing every once in awhile. It had seemed like such a long week. Shadow had finally recovered from his wound with nothing but a faint scar to remind him of the incident. After Amy told him the new of him being totally healed, the journey took a much faster pace. Secretly she had been looking forward to it. Finally, Shadow could run again. When she told him that running was an option again, he literally perked up both in mood and spirit (of course, he still preferred to be silent). At the first second that it was allowed, Shadow shot off.

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the run was the fact that it was the first time she had ever traveled at that speed. The only other person she knew that could run that was fast was Sonic, but he had never carried her and ran. Sure, he had held her when rescuing her on several occasions, but those had obviously not been full speed runs. The run with Shadow had. She hadn't screamed, but she had been breathless for quite a bit of the run.

Amy glanced back at Shadow, the thought of the run still fresh in her mind. Never before had she experienced anything like it. She knew no words that could properly describe the amazing experience, but of the ones that she could actually speak concerning the run, it had been nothing short of amazing. Truly, it had been a great day.

As she thought of the experience, she couldn't help but look back at him. His gaze was averted and he was deep in thought. Of what, Amy knew not. Quietly, she looked at him from head to toe. For the first time since she had seen him, she noticed something was off. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but something was different from the first time she had seen him. He couldn't age… so why was something different? It took her a few more seconds than it should have, but when she realized it she exclaimed, "Ah ha!"

Shadow looked back at her, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"I knew something was off! You don't have your rocket shoes! You've been running differently, that's what it was!" Amy yelled, resulting in Shadow giving her a strange look. Amy hummed nervously at the look, then looked forward again and began to walk a little faster. Of course, Shadow had no problem keeping up.

It was silent for a minute or two before Shadow sighed yet again, "Do you know how my rocket shoes were destroyed?" Amy shook her head, and Shadow chuckled, "You should remember me telling you that Sonic sucks at performing a perfect chaos spear." He looked up, "It wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience, but I look back and laugh at it. I don't quite know why, though." He was silent once again, but shook his head and continued, "Anyways, like I was saying… Sonic sucks at chaos spears. You know that by now, but I had to learn that the hard way."

Before Amy could ask, Shadow continued. "When you perform a chaos spear, your intention needs to be that of harming your opponent or target. It is not merely a self defense move, but an offensive attack with the goal of hurting someone. You can't let your confidence falter for even a second. If you do, your attack will not succeed." He said, looking past Amy for just a second to see that they had finally reached the city limits. "Sonic never really had the desire to harm anyone. He came to learn the chaos arts so he could protect, not destroy. However, I told him that if he wanted to 'protect', sometimes you have to 'destroy'. He didn't quite like that, but he kept on trying."

"We started out with the basics of the chaos spear, like learning the proper technique, the right maneuvers to perform a good spear, and many other necessary key factors when you do one. He had all of those mastered within in a few hours, but when it came time to actually perform one, he struggled. The fury needed to throw a spear was not there. For the entire rest of the lesson, he struggled to even summon much as the tiniest spear. After awhile, I ended the lesson and told him to go home and rest. I'm not quite sure he has a home, but you get the point."

"The next few lessons were the same. He would try and fail miserably, and that only resulted in him becoming more frustrated and nervous while I began to lose my patience. I started yelling at him, like I usually did when he struggled, and I began to threaten him. 'If you don't get it right, I'm going to have to throw a spear in your face!' He didn't like that at all. Although he kept his anger at bay for as long as he could, I finally was able to make him crack one day. He got so mad at me that he threw the perfect chaos spear. It was great, and I would have been a little happy with his progress if he hadn't thrown it at me." At this part of the explanation, Amy gasped to herself.

"It just so happened to hit my feet, and the spear me back about ten meters or so. When I landed, Sonic was there apologizing as if there was no tomorrow. I don't think I'll ever forget that expression…" Shadow sighed, Amy slowing so she could walk alongside Shadow instead. He waited for her to be by her side before he continued. "I was mad, furious to be honest, but I was a little pleased at the same time. He finally got it right, but of course it had to be when he hit me. I was overwhelmed and a little shocked, so I told him that the lesson was over. He left in a wreck, and I went home to patch myself up."

"I had third degree burns all over my legs and to my shock—and fury—my rocket shoes had been totally destroyed. There were huge holes, they wouldn't turn on, and they had almost melted in the heat of the spear. It took three hours to get those things off my feet, and another half an hour to bandage my legs. When I went to bed, I felt totally exhausted. The next morning when I woke up, I came to the surprise of finding Sonic in my living room. Before I could say anything, he stood up and walked over to me. He conjured up a box with his chaos powers and handed it to me. As he continued, I opened the box."

"He apologized for his ignorance and his mistake. He told me that he wouldn't bother me again, and then he explained a little bit about what was in the box. Inside was a new pair of black and white sneakers made by the same company that Sonic's sneakers were made from. It surprised me to say the least, mostly because that was a very expensive brand—I knew this because I had been the one to buy him the ones he is wearing now. He told me that 'they won't wear out for quite a long time,' and that they 'are the best the market has to offer'. I knew everything he was telling me, but I let him continue anyways. When he was done, he said sorry one more time and turned around, ready to leave."

"He was about to reach for the door when I told him to wait. He turned, ready for the worst when I sighed. I told him that his training wasn't over, and instantly his entire countenance lit up. I wasn't able to continue because he suddenly came up and flooded me with a million 'thank you's. After we finished all of the 'thank you's and 'shut up's, we finally left for more training." Shadow said, Amy smiling at the good ending she had been hoping for.

"Well, that sounds like it was fun. Did you heal quickly afterwards?" Amy asked.

Shadow nodded, "Of course I did! I was sore for awhile, but it only took three days for the burns to heal."

"That's good." Amy sighed, looking forward. They were deep into the city now, and what Amy saw filled her with surprise and awe. The city was massive! Although Station Square was big—huge to be accurate—this city dwarfed it in comparison. There were skyscrapers as far as the eye could see, and from what the eye could see, that was absolutely everywhere. They kissed the sky in a wonderful fashion of lights and windows, and looking up at them made Amy's eyes light up. What a beautiful sight!

As they continued to walk, the streets became more and more crowded. Amy was still looking up at the buildings, and that resulted in her crashing into one person after the other. Eventually, Shadow grabbed onto her wrist and began leading her through the crowd of animals and humans. Several minutes after that, Shadow stopped walking all together and stopped to look at Amy. He folded his arms and began to tap his foot. Sometimes this girl had her head to deep in the clouds.

At the rate they were traveling, it probably would have taken them a few hours to get where they needed to go. The very knowledge of such began to bring a mild case of irritation to Shadow. After several minutes of Amy standing and looking at the skyscrapers, Shadow sighed.

"Amy…"

"Yeah…?" she replied half-mindedly, still gazing up at the buildings.

"Can we get going?" Shadow sighed, followed by a rather stocky man bumping into Shadow. As he fell forward a bit, Amy looked back at him. He was giving the man an irritated look when he noticed Amy had finally looked down.

She nodded, "Yeah, sorry about that." She sighed, looking forward once again. The two continued the walk down the street; Amy looked around once in awhile to see the splendor of the huge city.

"Hey Shadow, why did they name it Sapphire City?" Amy asked.

He shrugged, "I don't know. Guess you'll have to look it up?" She nodded to herself, and Shadow looked over at her for a second when a question came to mind. "Hey, why are you so amazed with this place? It's just a big city; there are tons of them all over Mobius."

"I know, I just… I don't know." Amy whispered with no hint of concentration in her voice.

"That didn't make much sense."

"I know." She sighed, Shadow raising his eyebrows in response. Looking around one last time, Shadow sighed.

"Okay," Shadow said, quickly walking over to Amy. "Let's go a little faster, shall we?" Without waiting for a response, Shadow scooped Amy up in her arms. Her heart skipped a beat out of surprise, then it skipped another when she suddenly that they were traveling at the super speed once again.

It had felt like they had run for only a few seconds when they stopped. Shadow carefully put her down, looking forward with a very different expression than what Amy would have expected. When she looked over to see what he was looking at, she instantly realized why he looked so… sad. Before them laid the graveyard of Sapphire City.

Amy was speechless. She didn't know what to do, but when Shadow started walking forward, she silently began to follow. The atmosphere around the literally lifeless yard was heavier than any load Amy had ever felt. Maybe it had something to do with Shadow's sudden change in mood. Yes, that had to be it…

She followed him silently, wondering what was going on in his head. He must have felt so… oh yeah! Carefully, Amy grabbed the glass rose, looking at it with care in her heart and soul for the poor hedgehog. Just as she had expected, the rose was not doing so well. It looked withered and lifeless, making Amy swallow. Shadow once had said that he was over his past… but was he really? He had never visited the place the doctor and Maria was buried at, he had even said so himself. It must have been so hard for him…

The ebony hedgehog walked as if he knew exactly where he was going. Somehow, it felt as if he had been here before, as if he had spent an entire life-time here. Nothing could describe how he felt at the moment. Shame, guilt, anger, and misery attacked him all at once, and something deep inside of him urged him to turn around and never return. But how could he? He was so close, yet so far…

After several minutes, Amy swallowed. Gathering up all the courage she had in her body, she spoke in a quiet voice, "Do you know if we're almost there?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes. In fact," he said, stopping at a particularly humble gravestone. "We're here." Amy looked down to see the one object she never thought she'd see in her whole life.

It wasn't the doctor's gravestone, but the words on it did not surprise Amy one bit. Silently, Shadow knelt down, an expression of misery too large to measure on his face. As Amy looked at the gravestone with an expression of sadness just as powerful as Shadow's, she came across a surprising truth. The birth date was May eighth.

"Happy birthday Maria…" Shadow whispered, tracing his fingers along the edges of the cold stone, "I'm so sorry… I wasn't… I… I failed you. I'm sorry…"

Tears filled Amy's eyes as Shadow spoke. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that he was in, let alone deal with the hurt she was feeling right now. She hadn't even met Maria and the words had broken her heart. To be Shadow right now... it had to be… Amy shook her head and without another word, knelt down and wrapped her arms around the black hedgehog. She had no words of comfort for him. The silent embrace was the best she could do.

It was silent for a few minutes. Amy was not able to hold her composition and she cried without sobs for those endless minutes. After the time had passed, Shadow put his hand on top of hers. "Thank you Amy…" he whispered, standing up slowly so Amy could also stand up.

Amy nodded silently, still wiping the tears off her cheeks. He turned and smiled softly at her, "Hey, you don't need to cry."

She shook her head, "It's okay, I'm okay." Shadow smiled the gentle smile again.

"Well, let's go than, okay?" He asked, looking over. "His gravestone is over there," he said, pointing off to the left. Amy nodded and Shadow nodded back. No other words were exchanged between the two as they walked off towards the gravestone.

This one was a little more decorated than the other, and the stone itself threw Amy and Shadow off. It looked quite... holy, if that was the correct term. Angels, halos, and the large shape of a book—probably the bible—took up most of the room on the stone, making even Shadow raise his eyebrows. Although he knew the doctor believed in God, he never knew him to be so… so… honestly, Shadow didn't know how to describe it.

Amy also raised her eyebrows. The fact that the doctors gravestone was so large compared to Maria's surprised her. She would have expected that back then, the doctor they would have given her a fancier tombstone. To her, it was quite odd.

Like the last tombstone, Shadow knelt down by it, looking at it carefully. He put his hands on the stone, feeling around with a great curiosity. Almost instantly, he could tell something was off. Something was much different about this gravestone than the rest… it was like it was hiding something…

He was still a little surprised by the stone's design. No, he didn't resent it, for Shadow also believed that there was a God, he was just simply surprised. There was something about it, but, what was it about this stone that was making him so curious?

"Maybe it's really a machine?" Amy asked, kneeling down next to Shadow.

"No…" Shadow sighed, "The doctor wouldn't have had any time to build it. He was put on death roll, remember?"

"Right…" Amy whispered, watching Shadow as he leaned forward and sniffed it. Amy raised her eyebrows as Shadow backed away a little so he could put his ear next to it instead and with his right hand, knocked on it softly. He almost jumped at his results.

"It's hollow. This part," He said, pointing to the book carving, "It's not solid like the rest of it." His eyes become a little wide when the realization hit him like a train.

Before Amy knew it, Shadow had taken out the chaos emerald he had and called out, "Chaos control!" There was a flash of light that followed the cry, and Amy had to look away because it was so bright. When she looked back, she found herself gaping like Shadow was.

There in his hands laid Dr. Gerald Robotnik's second journal.

* * *

><p>Okay, I usually don't do author notes, but there is something I need to say this time! School is going to be in soon, so chapter updates are going to be a little slow. Trust me, this makes me sad too! Unfortunately, homework is something I can't control, but I promise you in saying that this story will be finished one day!<p>

On another note... don't you guys just love cliff hanger? I know I do! What is inside the journal? Hm...


	12. Lightning

** Chapter 12: Lightning**

Not once since he had wrapped his fingers around that journal had Shadow let it go. And in the rare occasions that it seemed as if he had to put it down to accomplish the task before him, he simply found a way around it to still keep his grip on the journal firm without letting it being harmed in any way. It was more than persistence that was driving him to go so far to make sure it wouldn't be damaged. Something inside of him was urging him to be careful. What it was he knew not, but he did know that whatever it was, it definitely had the right idea.

It had only been a few hours since the journal had been recovered, and Shadow had not even glanced at it once. He was saving it for a safe place—Shadow had told Amy so—and he was gradually growing more and more anxious by the moment. What was in the journal? Was there some horrendous secret that could bring his demise? Or maybe something odd that would always give him a sideways view of the world? He didn't know, but within a few hours he would.

After they had retrieved the journal, the two spent the day around Sapphire City, gazing upon the wonders the city had to offer. Within the limitless skyscrapers laid extravagant designer clothing stores, endless bookstores, and so many other things that Amy could barely comprehend. She was amazed at everything she saw, but for some reason, she couldn't quite concentrate on the objects before her. Despite such, she knew exactly why she couldn't look ahead.

She was worried for the black hedgehog. Although she didn't quite know what emotion fit best, she was sure that somewhere inside, he was scared. What was in that journal had the power to not only change his entire perspective and identity, but his entire outlook on life. In a sense, that scared Amy as well. She desperately hoped that nothing on those pages would hurt him, for she knew that he had gone through enough pain in his life already. Hadn't he?

Thoughts were racing wildly throughout her head during the day. She day-dreamed and wondered, debating back and forth between two voices of reason of what possibilities were in store. What were the possibilities? Shadow already knew so much about himself, what else could have been added to this platter of knowledge that could be so ground breaking? Despite doing her best, she had no ideas that came that could be so spectacular. The concept of super Mobian abilities, like breathing under water or super strength, were instantly out of the question, since he already was really strong and he could hold his breath for an amazing ten minutes. Other ideas, such a shocking realization of who was, didn't work either. If she was right (from what she heard from several accounts), he had been created by Dr. Gerald Robotnik with the help of the alien Black Doom.

A particularly quick paced argument caught Shadow's eye as the two ate a large food court in one of the city's popular malls. As she bit into a large soft pretzel, she couldn't help but continue to wonder and explore her thoughts. Perhaps he had the ability to re-grow an unattached. No, the thought made her shudder (mostly because it disgusted her). Biting into the pretzel yet again after dipping it into some cheese, Amy looked around. What was going to be in that journal? Although she knew that the words within that book were not going to have anything to do with her, she found herself coming to a level of worry that was parallel to Shadow's.

But why was she worrying so much! Whatever was in that book would change Shadow, not her… but, maybe that was why she was worried. The simplicity of her seeing him dance had caused him to recede back into that shell of numbness for a week with almost no hope of returning. What would something even worse do to the poor boy? Wait, could she consider him a boy? Yeah he looked like a boy, but he didn't act like one. But then again, his happier moods he had and his transformed personality sure did—

"Amy?" Shadow's voice suddenly broke the record of wave after wave of worried logics, making her turn to him silently. His expression was also one of worry, but it was subtle. Quietly, he whispered, "It's okay."

Amy swallowed and nodded, the terror washing away as she swallowed. "Sorry." She sighed, looking away towards her food yet again.

"What for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're being empathetic, and there's nothing wrong with that. Well…" he paused. "You could always be sympathetic instead."

Amy smiled as she raised her eyebrows, the signs of tire setting in as she looked at the black and red hedgehog. For some reason, she loved how he would always go on and on explaining himself like this. "What's the difference?"

"Simple," he said, putting his hands together. "Empathy is when you have deep emotional understanding of another's feelings or problems, while sympathy is general and can apply to small annoyances or setbacks." Sounding very professional and serious, Amy couldn't help but laugh at him. It made his eyes grow wide for a second before he too smiled. He released a giggle or two before she stopped her laughs.

Honestly, his seriousness in such trivial manners made her laugh. Why? She wasn't too sure as to why, but it always made her smile. He could be serious when he needed to and goofy (which still brought a level of shock to her) when necessary, but sometimes, his seriousness was out of place and down-right funny. The tone of voice displayed when he explained the differences in two words was the perfect example of such.

Shadow smiled as Amy rubbed her eyes, "Shadow, you're goofy."

He grinned, then put on another serious expression. "Goofy? I've never heard of such an atrocious term. It sounds… wrong."

Amy laughed again, "Sheesh," she punched him lightly in the shoulder, "You are so weird! And here I thought you were a big ol' bowl of serious."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Might I ask what that means?"

Amy looked at her shoes. "I have no idea, to be honest. I'm actually really tired, so if a whale was to fly past me this very moment, I wouldn't even flinch."

Shadow nodded and folded his arms, sighing. "I know what you mean. I'm really tired too… although I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get to get a wink of sleep." He said, looking down at the journal that was sitting on the table. Amy nodded before looking up at the hedgehog, who had already finished his food.

He picked up his plastic plate as he looked down at her. "Are you almost done?"

Amy nodded, grabbing her pretzel and the small cup of melted cheese. Shadow grabbed the other plastic plate and piled it on top of his. With his free hand, he grabbed the journal and headed off the garbage can. As Amy finished the pretzel off with a large glob of cheese on it, she did her best to grab the shopping bags she had obtained on their tour of the city. It was a weird position she found herself in, but eventually, she was able to stand up with the bags in her hand. Having finished her pretzel, she headed over to the trash can where Shadow was and threw away the small cup. She turned to Shadow when she had finished her task, a smile on her face.

"Okay, where to now? Anywhere else you want to go today?" She asked as he looked down at her bags.

"Not really," he said, cautiously grabbing the bags from her hands, knowing she wouldn't resist. "I think it's about time to turn in and rest for the rest of the day. It is getting a little late anyways…" he sighed, looking up at a clock. "Seven thirty six. Okay, it's not too late, but I would like to sit down and read." He explained, looking at the book for the millionth time that day.

Amy nodded, doing her best to be serious. "Okay, sounds like a plan. Where do you want to camp out?" she asked as they walked off.

"Who said we were camping out tonight?" Shadow smiled softly, making Amy raise her eyebrows, a quiet sense of enthusiasm filling her. Not once during their adventure had they actually stayed in a hotel, and the idea of staying in a hotel of such a large and luxurious city filled Amy with excitement. Although she did her best to hide the joy of such, an undeniable smile found its way onto her face. Shadow just grinned, "Excited, I see."

Amy let out a "ha," as Shadow looked down at her. "Excited to sleep in a nice warm bed after nights of sleeping under the stars? You better believe it! Where are we going to stay?"

He smiled, "You'll see."

After they had exited the mall, Shadow stored Amy's bags via chaos energy and carried her off full speed uptown. The inhabitants of the town only glanced around in confusion when the gust of wind flew past them, and it made Amy smile to herself. On several occasions she had seen others have such a look of confusion, taken aback at the odd happenings around them. Although she had been in their shoes several times, it hadn't been as obvious as their moments.

After a few seconds of running, Shadow slowed to a halt and set the girl down on her feet. Amy looked up in an attempt to see what building they had stopped at, but Shadow had taken her arm and started leading her inside before that could happen. She wondered for only a second when her eyes found the lobby. She gapped.

The room before her was decorated with exquisite furniture and hanging chandeliers that sparkled ever so slightly in the right light. Great pillars held up the spectacularly designed ceiling, which harbored its own special pattern as well. All of the area seemed to glow around her, making her eyes widen at the sight. When she saw the insignia on one of the desks, she realized where she was.

Shadow grinned as she gasped, "The Queen's Palace! Shadow, this is a five star hotel! How on Mobius," she paused and looked at him as he simply smiled at her. "Oh yeah. Working at G.U.N., lots of money to go around. Right?"

He nodded, walking toward the front desk as she followed. "I find it funny that you're surprised. I've been letting you get almost everything you want at all these stores and you never wonder where it all comes from."

She sighed and nodded, "Yeah…" Pausing, she looked at him. "You know, you don't need to spoil me. I'm more than capable of earning my own money and buying nice things."

"Meh," he shrugged, making her laugh as he they reached the desk.

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Meh?" she asked as he stood on his tip-toes to reach the bell on the desk (as it obviously did not put Mobian's height into account).

"Yes, meh." Shadow said, looking at Amy after hitting the bell.

She shook her head as a human man walked out and stood in front of the desk, a grin on his face. "Welcome sir to," he paused to look over the desk to make sure someone was there. "The Queen's Palace. How may I help you?"

Shadow looked up at the tall man, probably about six, three, and spoke, "Do you have vacancy?"

"Why yes we do, but we usually don't accept guests unless they make a reservation. However, judging simply from looks, I'd say that you're Shadow the hedgehog, correct?" The hedgehog nodded, "Well in that case, we will gladly give you a room. You are one of GUNS most elite agents… not mention, you've helped save the planet on several occasions, correct?"

Shadow smirked, "True, true." He said, "However, I would like two rooms, please."

The man put on a confused expression, "Two rooms? Why would you—" he leaned over a little more and saw Amy, "Ah, I didn't see you! My apologies!" he smiled and turned around, Shadow looking at Amy as he began to rummage around in some tiny metal lockers. He glanced long, "How long will you two be staying here?"

"Just a night." Shadow told him as Amy gazed at Shadow.

"Shadow, this is a five star hotel, right?" Amy asked.

"I thought you knew that." Shadow said, looking at her with confusion.

"Yes I do… but that means that it costs a lot. And I mean a lot. Shadow, are you—"

"Here you are!" The man said, handing the black hedgehog two cards. "Your card keys! And for future reference, we have a desk for animals over there. We have nothing wrong with you coming to this desk, but it would probably be more convenient, correct?" he said, typing in the information on the hotel's newest guests. "You can pay in the morning. Enjoy your stay at The Queen's Palace!"

Shadow nodded and smiled, "Thank you very much." And the two walked off.

They walked silently to the eastern side of the building, heading toward doors easily recognizable as elevator doors. Shadow pressed a button next to the shining doors, and within seconds, the slid open. He motioned Amy to go in before him and followed her inside. Once in, he pressed a button with the number '43' etched into it. The elevator lurched before it ascended smoothly up the shaft.

When the doors open, they found themselves in a luxurious carpeted hallway. Wordlessly, they headed off to the right, walking past several doors until they reached the rooms labeled '4309' and '4311'. Shadow handed the cardkey to '4311' to Amy, then recalled the shopping bags and handed those to her as well. They smiled at each other one last time before Shadow slid the card past the scanner. His door opened and he walked in as Amy opened her door as well.

The room harbored a breath-taking view to the city below, and furniture just a lovely as that in the lobby decorated the room as well. Words couldn't describe the grandeur of the room. Smiling, Amy put her bags down and took a starting sprint to leap onto the king sized bed. Landing on it made her want to fall asleep within the instant her body touched the blankets. She smiled and closed her eyes, letting both her mind and body relax. If it wasn't for everything else she was going to do before she was going to bed, she could have fallen asleep right then and there.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Shadow's voice sounded from the doorway. Amy sat up, looking back at the hedgehog. She nodded, and he smiled. "I'm glad you like it." He said, looking back at the object in his hands. "Anyways…" his tone and expression became very serious. "I'm going to get reading. And here's the shocking part: I'll be reading it at normal speed."

Amy's eyes grew wide, "Really?" Honestly she was a little surprised, but her response had been a little bit of a joke. Shadow smiled a weak grin and nodded as Amy stepped off the bed.

Shadow looked down at the ground, swallowing. "I'm a little worried of what's going to be in this journal, quite honestly." Amy looked up at him as he continued, "I know that it sounds funny that I'm worried, but… ugh, I just don't know." He sighed, gritting his teeth together.

Amy swallowed, quietly walking over to the hedgehog. "You'll be okay Shadow, okay? No matter what happens, you'll still be Shadow." She hugged him, a little surprised when his arms wrapped around her. "No matter what, I'll still be your friend."

"Thank you Amy." He whispered, backing up to smile quietly at her once again. Although he still looked scared, the worry in his gaze had been calmed quite a bit. Shadow nodded once more as he stepped back, grabbing the doorknob. "I'll talk to you later, alright?"

Amy nodded, "Defiantly."

Shadow smiled once more as he backed up, closing the door behind him. Amy sighed after the click of the door closing, sitting on the bed as she looked down. Silent hopes for Shadow filled her mind as she laid down, looking at the ceiling. At that moment, nothing else mattered.

For a few minutes, she examined the ceiling as she wondered of what was to come in the days following and what had happened so far. So much had gone on in those days past. She had never expected to become Shadow's friend, nor go on such a journey with him. No, she had expected that she would have been home like every night, spending the time doing some of her favorite things. Sighing, she looked around. It had been a long time since she had talked to Cream… maybe it would be a good idea to call her.

Amy sat up, glancing down at the bed-side table to the right of the bed. As she had hoped, there was a phone sitting on the table. She smiled and reached for the phone, pressing several numbers in the attempt to hear her friend's voice. After a few seconds of ringing, her sweet voice filled Amy's ear, making her smile. She had missed that voice.

* * *

><p>Despite the terror that had initially filled him at the very thought of reading the journal, Shadow found himself quite intrigued as his eyes flew across the pages. It was surprising, no doubt, but it was not nearly as shocking as he had initially thought it would have been. The journal was very unique, as it contained a mixture of personal moments and scientific notes about the project of the ultimate life form. Past journals of the doctor that had been discovered had generally stuck to the scientific aspect of his life, but the combination of both was intriguing. Although there had been no facts pertaining to Shadow directly, he had found out some interesting history prior to his creation.<p>

Apparently, the ARK had been more than just a bunch of scientists and families, but also many other that had signed up especially with the effort to help the progression of science. They had signed up for different reasons for each person. For a young human family of four, they had signed up for a better life from the economically difficult home they had lived in before. He had remembered their names easily because of their uniqueness; Dottie the daughter, Malachi the son, and the parents, Antebellum and Jamison. There an old hedgehog, Darren, who came to live there with his wife Marylyn for their last years. More human families and endless names filled his mind; Lydia, Cameron, Derek, John, Harry, Minnie, Spencer, Lilith, and many other names echoed in his thoughts. There were also many Mobian names and families, such as the large family of Tom, Lucy and their six children. Young couple Henry and Rita, the middle aged Tyson, the elderly Terry and Benny, and so many other names.

The thing that he found the most striking was that despite having put the names so deep into his mind, he knew that he had not met most of them. It did more than surprise him, but it wasn't quite on the level of what he could call shock. He had known—obviously—that the ARK was big, but perhaps he had never quite comprehended how large it actually was. There were so many he had never known… so many he would never know. The thought made him a little sad, if that was the correct word, but he continued to read regardless.

There were many facts that he did find quite astonishing, however. The simplest and most obvious example was of how much those scientists on the ARK had struggled getting a stable life-form to become _the _ultimate life-form. All those that had came before him had either died, refused all instruction given (like the biolizard), or totally lost all sanity and faced eradication. It was somewhat humbling to know that he had lived, but it also raised question as to why he was the one that had worked. Confusion had been his constant companion on the trip, but now, it was taking him over like never before.

Words of comfort were also written, as the words spoke much about Maria. She had a deadly disease—he had remembered that—but it explained the effects more in detail. Not only that, but it spoke of the reason for Project Shadow itself. He had learned it once, but reading the reasons for his creation over and over again reassured him that he really had been made for good. To be a cure for Maria's disease… to protect humanity… the ultimate guardian… that and many other phrases calmed his jumping heart.

After a few hours of reading, Shadow found himself growing nearer and nearer to the end of the journal. Honestly, he found himself a little disappointed, but he also found it a little easing. So far there had been no big surprises or world-shattering revelations, and maybe he would get lucky and live without them for a day.

He read on, noticing that certain names were being mentioned more often—two in particular—and he began to realize what was coming. Soon, he would reach the end of the entries: the end of Maria's life. Swallowing, he prepared himself mentally for what he was to read.

The words he read over the next few pages were much more different than what he had expected, for they continued to mention the two people spoken about so often. It was interesting; he had to be truthful, for it seemed as if the Doctor had been close friends with these two. He had never remembered the names Henry and Rita on the ARK, even on the days that Maria let him meet so many of her friends. He continued on towards the last two pages, his eyes treading carefully.

The second to last page was different from the rest of the book, for it seemed that it had been written rather quickly. Despite the handwriting being somewhat sloppy (to Shadow at least) he was able to read it without too much trouble. As his eyes traveled down the list, a level of surprise filled him. He hadn't… suddenly, his heart stopped. He had to stop his reading and go over the sentence he had read several times to make sure he wasn't crazy. Despite doing so, he was sure his eyes were playing a trick on him.

There was no way that what he was reading was real. It had to be an illusion, or a trick of the lights, or something! He had known—not just thought, but _known_—that what those words before him would have and had never applied to him, but in an instant, that knowledge was shattered. It was the Doctor's handwriting, no doubt, but for some reason, he couldn't comprehend the words—or the emotions—that were filling him. Within a few seconds, he had stood up, walked out the door, and headed off to Amy's room. He had to be sure he hadn't lost it, especially if what he was reading was true.

* * *

><p>The show Amy was watching was not one that she particularly enjoyed, but she left the TV on the channel it was on. She had never been fond of the series of horror films known by the title "Hammer," but she ignored the gut feeling to turn off the TV. Just as it was getting to a particularly gruesome part, her door slammed open.<p>

She jumped so high and screamed so loud that Shadow—who had been the one to come in so abruptly—jumped as well. Before she could do anything else, he closed the door and looked at her, "Sorry."

Her heartbeat was racing so fast that all she could do was nod as she stood up. She was dressed in a green and pink pajama ensemble with a central theme of strawberries, but Shadow didn't seem to mind. Looking down at her feet for a second, Amy put a hand on her head.

"You nearly gave me a heart-attack Shadow…" she whispered, Shadow seeming a little uncomfortable.

"I know…" Shadow whispered, looking at her with an unreadable expression. "I'm sorry for that, but I need to ask you a favor."

Amy sighed, looking at the hedgehog with a hint anguish filling her as she saw his own. "Okay, what do you need?"

He stretched his hand out, holding the journal with his thumb holding his place. "Will you please read this page out loud?" Shadow asked, opening it and pointing to the second to last page in the book.

Amy raised her eyebrows. Shadow was a good reader, and that was nothing more than fact. Why did he want her to read it out loud? Regardless of her questions, she took the book and nodded, "Okay…" she whispered looking down at the hastily written words. She cleared her voice as he stepped closer to her, and she began.

"Mobius year 3185 May third. I fear the worst of all outcomes are to soon occur. There have been several warnings issued to the ARK concerning project Shadow. They have informed me and the other leading scientists that unless the project is ceased—little do they know Shadow has been completed for months—they will shut it down personally. We have tried to negotiate against such and although it seems like it may be successful, I have a horrible feeling of what is to come. My only hopes are that if something does go wrong, Maria, Shadow, and other close friends of mind will not be harmed." Amy cringed at the sentence, but continued when Shadow did not reply.

"Despite these hopes, I know that something is bound to happen. Although we have told G.U.N. that Project Shadow is one aimed for peace, they have acted as if it is all an attempt to make the perfect weapon. True, he was made to protect and is as such, the ultimate life form, especially combat, he is not by any means distinctly for destruction." Amy glanced at Shadow, whose expression was now nothing but numbness. "I worry for obvious reasons. And yet, right now, there is one thing I must speak of. Not once I have shared this information, but I write it down for the hope that Shadow will one day find this."

"Project Shadow was created with three necessary ingredients. The first—which was the last to be added—was the blood of Black Doom. This gave Shadow the ability to withstand his body's abilities and openly use and easily master the Chaos force. In a sense, Black Doom could be called his biological father, but I know better than to say that." That sentence in particular confused Amy, but she kept on reading.

"The second was the technology to progress with his body. Our scientific advancements in past years only provided to be essential to the completion of Project Shadow, and it was what made his body as physically as strong as it is now. This was the longest part of Project Shadow's creation, but it would have never happened without the first ingredient that only I have ever known of."

The words she spoke made her eyes grow wide, "The starting piece, the cornerstone if you must, to Project Shadow, was the embryo of a young hedgehog couple. Due to complications in the female's pregnancy, they allowed me to take the embryo and in essence, let him live, as Rita had put it. With this, Project Shadow was able to progress, and eventually, be finished."

Amy kept reading, despite the shock that was eating at her alive. "With these, Project Shadow—the ultimate life form—was born. I hope one day for Shadow to read these words and know more of himself… and I hope that he—and Maria as well—will always be able to be happy. Signed Dr. Gerald Robotnik."

As soon as she finished, all she could do was gap. Lightning wouldn't have been as shocking as what she had just read. Did those words really say what she thought they had said? Of course they had, but what did all of this mean! Before she could speak, Shadow took the opportunity.

"You know what an embryo is, right? It's when—"

"I know what an embryo is Shadow, I took health class when I was younger." She said, putting her hands up in an anxious attempt to avoid having 'the talk' with Shadow. He nodded as she handed him the journal.

It was silent unlike anything else before Amy broke the deafening silence. "Shadow… do you know what this means?" He didn't respond, but she spoke despite knowing that he already knew what it meant.

"Shadow… you have parents."

* * *

><p>Cliffhanger! Don't you all just love me? Hee hee hee...<p>

Anyways... I'm sorry it took so long to update! I've been busy getting Fragile caught up with Glass Rose. But don't worry, two more chapters of Fragile in a row, then I can return to the Glass Rose to Fragile pattern! Woo-hoo! Okay... getting past that...

Who saw that coming? Who is shocked? Review please!

Oh, and if you know anyone that likes Shadamy fics, if you'd love to be awesome, please request this story to others! Thanks in advance!


	13. Decisions and Daydreams

** Chapter 13: Decisions and Daydreams**

The question that echoed in his head was simple: what where they like? Henry and Rita? Were they like him; cynical and silent, but able to smile every once in awhile? Or were they similar to what Maria had been like and Amy was; optimistic, enthusiastic, and kind? He didn't know, but Shadow desperately wished to find out. And yet, someone deep inside him, he worried that he'd never know. There had been few, if there had been any survivors at all on the ARK.

After Amy had finished reading out loud and the moment of awe passed, the girl had left for bed. She had felt shock at Shadow's words, but it was in no way as strong as his. His had no end. In that single moment, all he had known was questioned. It had been shattered and crudely rearranged into something unfamiliar. Into what? The questions and confusion kept him up for most of the night.

The few hours of rest he did acquire were filled with strange dreams. In some of them he was a baby held by unseen parents; in others he was being attacked by what appeared to be Black Doom. After several hours of apparitions of deceased beings, he decided to stay up. He turned on the television, and settled on some old cartoons. For awhile he was content, but his mind continued to race after a few episodes.

Parents. The words felt like poison on his tongue. No, not because he despised the term, but because it was so exotic to him. Had he learned shortly after he had been finished that he had parents, the term wouldn't have been so astonishing. It was abnormal for him to be in the state of mind that he was in, but the journal had flipped his aspect on so many things. Silently, he wished that his stomach would calm down. He was sure that if it didn't, he was going to throw up…

Eventually, dawn came. Shadow sighed and looked at the grandfather clock in the room. Although he looked, he quickly forgot the time and stood up. He needed to clear his head, but he didn't want to leave for a run at the time. Instead, he headed to the bathroom and took a long shower. There was something about a long shower that had always been so soothing to the black hedgehog…

After the shower and watching a few more re-runs of old shows, a knock sounded from his door. He opened it to find Amy, her expression just numb as his. She looked up at him, and he wondered if she had been as restless as he had been.

She spoke, "Are you ready to leave?"

Shadow nodded, "Almost. Just need to put my shoes on." The girl nodded in response, and followed Shadow inside. He walked over to the far side of the room, keeping his quietude strong. Wordlessly he put on his shoes, then walked to the bedside table and grabbed his keycard. They exited the room, headed down the hall, and into the elevator. It was silent until the doors slide to a close.

Amy yawned, stretching as she looked at Shadow. "So, did you sleep well?"

He shook his head, "No. I had three hours of sleep, and that was it."

Amy chuckled, "Same here, but I'm guessing you'll do better today than I will." Shadow smiled and continued to gaze at the wall. "Hey, where's the—" the journal appeared via chaos powers before she could finish her sentence. Her eyebrows raised, she glanced at the hedgehog. "Journal." She paused, "May I see it?"

He nodded and Amy took it, opening the book to the first page. The elevator doors whooshed open, and the two headed into the lobby. "So, what are their names again?" Amy asked as she handed Shadow her keycard.

"Henry and Rita."

"Cool," Amy whispered as Shadow placed the keycards on the desk for Mobians. The cat at the desk exchanged an appreciate smile with Shadow before they left. As they continued to walk, questions continued. "How old were they?"

"When? During the ARK crisis, or when I was completed?"

"When they found out about you." Amy told him.

The thought of such a phrase made his heart skip a beat for some reason. When they found out about him… it was strange to think that the sentence actually applied to him. He could see the scenario play out in his head: the woman—his _mother—_comes to the father with a surprise. They were going to be parents. His parents. That joy that he had seen in countless other couples… he had once been a part of it. Shaking his head to escape the daze, Shadow spoke.

"I believe Rita was nineteen, and Henry was twenty-one. Rita was a sophomore in collage and Henry was a senior."

"Wow…" Amy whispered, "They were young."

Shadow nodded, "Yes they were." Shadow paused, "What do you mean by that, though?"

Amy hummed for a second, "You were their first child, and they almost lost you. It seems as if something like that shouldn't happen to a couple that young. You know what I mean?"

The doorman held open the door for the two, and Shadow nodded toward the man. "Yeah. It is young, but any age is too young to lose a child."

Amy nodded, "That's true. I can't imagine how they felt back then."

"Me neither. I can't imagine anything about them to tell you the truth…" Shadow sighed as the two walked down the street together.

"That doesn't surprise me." Amy whispered, looking up at the sky. It was early, and luckily for them, there was a lack of any clouds.

Shadow nodded, "I wouldn't imagine it to."

They were mute for a few minutes. For the first time on their trip, the two truly had no idea what to say. There were thousands of questions filling their mind, but no words to match them. The thoughts that ran rampant throughout their minds were hard enough to keep track of, so they saved their words for simple phrases. Such as ordering a combo meal at one of the popular chain restaurants.

After they ordered their food, the two walked to the park. The food gave yet another reason for them not to talk, but the two still wished to speak. They sat on a park bench and finished their burgers and fries, then sat there as they finished their drinks. Eventually the two began to wander around the park, not knowing where they wanted to go.

Mystery was wandering in the air. Confusion was an understatement. Despite this, Amy continued to search for the words. It took minutes for something, but when it finally struck her, she didn't even question asking Shadow.

"When are we leaving?" She stopped walking, glancing at a tree that looked quite a bit like a cabbage.

Shadow stopped, turning to her. "As soon as possible, I guess. Since I'm all better, it should only take a few days to get to Station Square."

Amy shook her head, "No, we're not going back to Station Square yet!"

"Why not?" Shadow inquired in a puzzled tone.

Amy sighed. Was he really that dazed? "Duh, we're going to go look for them!"

"Them?" he raised an eyebrow, "Henry and Rita? Amy, they are probably dead! There would be no—"

Suddenly, she went into her scary mode. She rushed up to the hedgehog and pointed a finger in his face, fury radiating off her body. "Listen here Shadow the Hedgehog! I took care of you for weeks when you were injured, traveled with you across the country, dealt with your 'moods,' and now you are saying you want to quit? And when we're so close? I don't think so!" For a moment, Shadow was actually a little afraid.

"I've gone through far too much to quit now, and so have you! I know the chances are slim, but if it's there, we need to take it! I mean, think about it!" She walked off, her hands waving around wildly as she explained. "You are the ultimate life form! They are the parents of the ultimate life form! Don't you think that that the doctor would have done something to at least try to save them?"

"Well yeah, but—"

"And if he did, wouldn't it have been successful?"

"Of course Amy, but there's—"

"Then it's settled!" she exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. "We're going to look for them!"

Shadow sighed. Once she decided upon an option, it was almost impossible to persuade her to do otherwise. "Amy, I know that your heart is in the right place, but think about it. If they didn't die from the incident on the ARK, they could have died from old age. Rita is at least seventy-three by now, and Henry would be seventy-five by now!"

"So?" Amy questioned, "You're old too! You're what, fifty-three by now?"

Shadow sighed, "I don't age, that's the difference. They would!"

Amy growled, "Shadow, you're not listening! There's a chance to meet your parents and you're acting as if it's a capital offence to even think about it!" she sighed, "Don't you want to at least find out?"

The hedgehog gazed upon the grass below him, then at the journal. Amy was still holding it, but when she saw him looking at it, she handed it to him. "Shadow, think about it. Wouldn't you want to meet them? Don't you want to know what they're like? If I had the chance to see my parents again, I would take it. Why wouldn't you?"

Shadow took the book, standing silently for a second. It was true that he didn't know them at all, but he desperately wanted to. So what was keeping him from knowing? From searching for them? The idea and image of him being a part of a family—a real family—entered into his mind, and at that moment, he decided. He opened the journal, glancing down at exact entry he had been aimed for. Fear of their rejection was what restrained him from going forward, but a desire to know them was growing stronger in his heart.

"They used to live in a city named Topiary. I'm guessing that Topiary would be the best place to start our search." Amy smiled, excitement over-flowing her by so much that even Shadow couldn't help but smile. "Is that better?"

Amy nodded, "Much. Now," she walked towards him, standing by his side yet again. "Let me ask you this one more time. When are we going to leave, and where are we going?"

Shadow smiled yet again. "As soon as possible. We're heading to Topiary, and we're going to find my parents."

"Ah, music to my ears! Let's go!" Amy exclaimed, dashing off without a warning. Shadow watched her run, smiling to himself as he raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. When she realized he wasn't following, she looked back, a confused expression on her face. She was about to ask when he spoke.

"Topiary is that way." He told her, pointing in the opposite direction.

Amy's cheeks burned red, and the black hedgehog laughed. Quietly she walked over, embarrassment over-riding her. "Um… okay." Shadow smiled softly, ruffling her hair.

"You're goofy, Rose."

She looked up with a serious expression, then spoke in a monotone. "Goofy? I've never heard of such an atrocious term. It sounds… wrong."

Shadow laughed, and Amy smiled back as well as they walked in the correct direction. She took out the glass rose as they walked and conversed, holding it close to make sure he was happy; and he was. Secretly, the chance to travel with Amy more was bringing a powerful joy into Shadow's heart. He really did enjoy her company and he had to admit it; he had quite a crush on her.

* * *

><p>A shorter chapter, but a fun one all the same. Soon, we're going to be getting to the really good stuff, so look forward to it!<p>

Now that Glass Rose and Fragile are finally caught up, it will not take as long to get chapters up! Woo-hoo! And sorry that it took so long to get it up, I've been busy. But hey, it's up now!

LordCooler, you should recognize the cabbage tree part. :)


	14. You Can Call Me Auntie

**Chapter 14: You Can Call Me Auntie**

Shadow sighed, looking ahead to the city before him. Topiary. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he was ready for what he was going to find. It had taken only a day to travel from Sapphire City to Topiary, but it had felt like a million years. Was he really going to meet the parents that he had read about in the journal, or would they have passed on by now like he had feared? The ebony hedgehog looked up at the sky, which was cloudy once again. Did the weather have anything to do with his pessimistic mood?

Suddenly, the warmth of Amy's hand on his shoulder made Shadow glance back. As expected, she was holding the glass rose, a weak grin on her face. "Shadow, it's going to be okay."

Shadow was silent for a moment or two as he gazed upon her. The kind smile and the gleam in her eye gave him a sudden reassurance and he nodded. Amy nodded in response, then took him by the arm. The gesture did not surprise him, but instead only added to the reassuring hope she radiated. Shadow smiled and looked, then began to walk forward towards the city.

The two were nervous, but the majority of their worry had faded during the journey. By that time, Shadow no longer felt worried. If Amy was there with him, he was sure that he was going to be able to face anything. And as long as Shadow was happy, Amy was going to be happy as well. If he wasn't happy, she was going to take care of it no problem! If they were feeling anything, it was curiosity.

The question was simple. Were they really going to finally meet Henry and Rita? And if they did, would they even remember anything about Shadow? Or if the worst case scenario was true, were they both dead? Shadow shook his head as he gazed up at the hazy sky. He needed to stop asking himself such questions. If he didn't let things be, there was no doubt that he was going to give himself an ulcer. Sighing, Shadow looked at Amy. The city was much smaller than Sapphire City, harboring only about nine thousand residents. What did she think of the homely town?

"Hey Amy, do you like this place?" he asked, not stopping to think like he usually did.

Amy turned to him and nodded, their arms no longer intertwined. "I do. It reminds me of home…"

Shadow smiled, "What was your home like?"

Amy sighed, folding her arms. "Which home? Knothole, or where I lived before that?"

"Both places."

Amy hummed for a second. "They were both very different places. In Knothole, there were so few people that everyone just knew each other no problem. It was like everyone was family. The place I used to live was very different. I don't remember it too well, but I do remember a few things. It was a nice place, and I do remember my parents quite a bit. It was a fancy place, I do know that."

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "Really? Where did you live?"

Amy smiled, "On another continent in the kingdom of Mercia. It fell when Eggman took over years ago…" she looked at Shadow, who was now frowning. "Oh, don't worry! A lot of us escaped! In fact, those that didn't were rescued a few years ago! Well, most of them, anyways."

"Like who?" Shadow asked as the two walked past a building with a large poster.

Amy stopped to gaze at the poster, "My cousin Rob, a few royals and nobles, and me of course. My parents weren't, but I know I'll be able to see them again."

Shadow put on a worried gaze, "How long has it been since you've seen them?"

Amy shrugged, "A few years. I'm not sure."

"Shouldn't it be your parents we're looking for?"

Amy smiled, turning to Shadow. "Shadow, this is YOUR journey, not mine." The black hedgehog glared at the sidewalk, and Amy laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, we can go look for my parents after this."

Shadow smiled slightly, "Sounds like a plan."

Amy chuckled, glancing back at the poster. "If you really want to go that bad…" Then Amy was silent, studying the poster with a slightly disturbed expression. "I'll never understand that women…" She whispered, walking off.

Shadow observed the poster for a moment, then let out a "ha" as he dashed to catch up with her. "I think that's the point. You know… artistic freedom or something like that."

"I know, but a dress made of meat? That's just weird."

"That's Mistress GooGoo for you." Amy raised an eyebrow and stuck out he lips in a pouty fashion, then stared at the hedgehog. To her surprise, he was giving her the same exact look. At that instant she burst into laughter. A few years ago, the very idea of Shadow even thinking about making that face was a silly daydream. Now, it wasn't strange at all for him to pull such faces at her.

After a few seconds of laugher, Amy stood up straight and looked ahead. "Anyways…" the hedgehog next to her chuckled again, making her grin widen. "Where are we going to start looking?"

Shadow stopped and bit his lip, his expression suddenly very serious. "I'm not sure. I think it would be a good idea to check out the care-center in town, but maybe we should go to the library first."

Amy hummed, "The library, huh? What makes you want to go there?"

"They may have some old phone books with the resident's addresses in them. If we can find their old address, the current home owners might know where they are now."

Amy nodded, "Sounds good! In that case…" she put her hands on her hips and stuck her chest out, "I want to go to the library!" She exclaimed in the most masculine voice she could produce.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, grinning at her. "I know that's a reference to a show I've seen before, I just can't remember what."

Amy nodded, "Okay than, you have ten seconds to guess what it is!"

Shadow nodded in response, "Let me think…" he was silent for a few seconds. "It's not Superman," Amy chuckled at that guess, "It's definitely not Batman, not some other comic book hero…"

"Only five seconds left!" Amy exclaimed, resulting in the hedgehog glaring jokingly at her. Amy grinned, then innocently stuck her tongue out at him.

It appeared as if the tease was the key to the answer, for the very next second, Shadow yelled out, "Avatar! It's from Avatar the Last Airbender!"

"We have a winner! Now let's celebrate with a three second dance party!" Shadow merely watched as the pink hedgehog did a short dance. He chuckled to himself at her finale, which composed of a goofy pose and Amy performing an energetic set of jazz hands. When she was finished, she looked up at Shadow. "What? You're not going to participate?"

He shrugged, "I don't dance."

Amy laughed out loud, "Ha! I object to that!"

The glare she received sent shivers down her spin, but she still let forth a nervous grin. "Heh… I'm going to run now." With that, she turned around and dashed off, yelling, "Help, he's a maniac!"

Shadow smiled and shook his head, running after her. She was weird, but Shadow enjoyed that about Amy.

* * *

><p>Shadow held the door open for Amy, and the girl gawked at what laid inside the building. Despite the town being so much smaller than Sapphire City, she was sure that whatever library they had was no comparison to the one they had stepped in. Although it was an old brown throughout, it had a timeless class that she was sure could never be rivaled. Elegant woodwork littered the walls, priceless furniture decorated the rooms, and books abounded on the shelves that finished the scene. The most impressive fact was that the library was so tall. When they had walked in, Shadow had commented that it had to be at least three stories high, and the comment in context made the whole place seem even more wonderful.<p>

Amy stepped further in, not daring to look down. "Shadow, how long do you think it would take for you to finish all these books?"

Shadow followed her in, gazing up with her. "If I read non-stop, probably about three months." Amy nodded. She did not doubt what he said, for she herself had seen his reading abilities first person.

"Well, now that we're here, we should ask the librarian… or in this case, librarians, if they have any old phone books." Amy nodded, following Shadow as he walked further into the library. Silently, the girl wondered what Shadow's favorite book was…

The librarian at the main desk was on old lady with gray hair and a kind smile. She was arranging some books in the return cart when Shadow walked up to the desk. The hedgehog cleared his voice, and the woman looked at him. To Shadow's surprise, she was a hedgehog as well. At first he thought it could have been Rita, but her name tag told him differently.

The red hedgehog smiled at them and spoke. "Hello, and welcome to the Topiary public library! Are you two new here?"

They nodded, "Yes, but we're only going to be here for a little bit. Anita, is it?" The woman looked down at her name tag and raised her eyebrows.

"Quite the eyesight you have there, young man. May I ask what your names are?"

Amy chuckled at the "young man" comment and Shadow softly elbowed her. "I'm Shadow, and this is my friend Amy. We were wondering if you had any old phone books we could look at." Amy still chuckled at the comment, leading to her receiving a half-glare, half joking gaze.

Anita nodded, " An odd request but yes, we happen to have some. Is there a specific type of phones book you're looking for?"

Shadow turned to Amy and the girl shrugged. He nodded to himself before turning back to the librarian. "Old phone books. Way old. Say… fifty-three years old, at least?"

She raised her eyebrows, "Well, we _may_ have some that old. Now don't trust my memory, I'm not the best with remembering these things, but we may have some down in the basement. If you want them, you'll have to come down with me. My vision isn't what is used to be and if I go down there by myself, I may not come up alive!" she exclaimed jokingly.

Amy nodded, "Of course!" Her eyes suddenly lit up, making Shadow raise an eyebrow. She jumped at the chance to help others, even if it was for something small.

Anita smiled, "Thank you dearie. This way," she told them, walking out from behind the desk. Without a moment to spare, she walked off toward the north side of the building. Silently Shadow followed. Amy on the other hand sped up so she could walk by the woman's side. He watched as she flashed Anita a joyous grin which was returned to her. The action made Shadow smile to himself as well.

The door to the basement wasn't particularly fancy, and neither was the staircase itself. Each step made a loud creek that made Shadow cringe to himself. He wasn't very fond of squeaky things, and the simple sounds that emanated from the stairs were enough to drive him crazy. Luckily, there were only a few more steps by the time he was ready to beat his head on the wall. As they stepped into the chilly room, Anita flipped the switch and lit up the place.

Like the rooms above, there were shelves and shelves of books, but the ones in the room before them were much different. Many of them looked to be much older and elegant, and some of them appeared to be rather valuable. Before Shadow could inspect them further, the librarian walked off with Amy following. He did the same, glancing back at the books that were now tugging at his curiosity.

The doorway they passed through led to a room that was a little warmer than the last. When the switch flipped, both Amy and Shadow felt their spirits drop a few feet. Before them laid boxes stacked upon boxes that were surrounded by boxes. Unfortunately, none of them had any titles or dates. Amy swallowed and Shadow sighed as the three of them walked into the room. Although he had the time, Shadow didn't have the patience to look through every single box and book in the room. Well… maybe he did.

It was as if she had sensed their distress when she spoke. "I know it's messy, but I'm pretty sure that there's something in here that could help you out."

Shadow nodded, "Thank you." He turned to her, "It means a lot."

She smiled, "It's no problem. If you need my help, feel free to come and ask."

Amy smiled, "Okay. In the mean time, let's see what we can find. You up for it Shadow?" She asked as Anita walked out of the room.

"Of course! If this is what it takes, I'm up for it!"

"Even if you get a paper cut?" Amy asked as Shadow walked forward.

Shadow grinned at her comment, "Yes, even if I get a paper cut."

"Good! Now let's start searching!" Amy exclaimed, walking over so she could see into the box Shadow had opened. As expected, they found a wall of books, making Shadow sigh once again. He had a feeling that the search was going to be a long one.

Unfortunately, he had been right. The first box they searched through had no phone books, and neither did the second or third. After a few more boxes they found the phone books, but to their dismay, they were all rather new. They spent several minutes searching through those phone books and before they knew it, the minutes turned into hours. After sifting through the boxes, rearranging the books, and stacking the boxes in a new fashion, the two lost their original enthusiasm for looking through the text before them.

As Amy put a final book into the box before her, Shadow plopped onto a bean bag chair they had discovered in the piles. She sighed as Shadow closed his eyes. "Who knew that going through a few boxes would take so much time…"

Shadow sighed, "Most people do. Then again, most people wouldn't try reading every single book in the box…"

Amy smiled softly as she sat down in the soft chair that sat next to the bean bag chair. "True." She sighed, looking up at the doorway when she heard soft footsteps.

Anita stepped in, "Have you two had any luck?"

Amy shook her head, "No. Do you need us to leave?"

"Oh no, that's not it! I was just curious." She explained, looking over at Shadow for just a moment. "If you two need anything, just let me know. Alright?" Amy nodded and Anita nodded back before turning around. She walked out, staying just as silent as she had been earlier.

Shadow sighed, "Rita, Henry, where are you two?" the words spoken were lonely, and it made Amy feel a little saddened. As the hedgehog opened his eyes, Amy sighed.

She put a hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him. "Don't worry, we'll find them."

"I know." Shadow sighed, his ears suddenly perking up to a familiar sound. Anita's footsteps were returning, and it filled him with a level of curiosity.

The woman stepped in, an expression of confusion on her countenance. "Excuse me, but did you just say Henry and Rita?"

Shadow raised his eyebrows and sat up, "Well yes, I did. Why do you ask?"

The expression on Anita's was strange, because it was something stronger than surprise, but not quite shock. "How… do you know them?"

"Well, we don't know them yet, but we're looking for them. They're Shadow's parents." Amy explained as Shadow examined Anita's expression.

Her eyes grew wide and she swallowed. Shadow sat up, raising an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

She nodded without another question, then took on a very serious face. "You two… I think I could help you out. No, I know I can help you." She turned without another word, leaving the two glancing at each other in surprise. Before they could speak, she walked back into the room. "Well come on! You won't find out where they are if you stay here!" And she walked out yet again.

Shadow looked at Amy, and the girl nodded. If there had ever been a time to take a leap of faith, it was right then and there. The two stood up and walked after Anita, their minds now racing.

* * *

><p>The walk to her house had been short, but it had felt like an eternity. After informing one of her co-workers that she was leaving for the day, Anita led them to her house, staying silent as Amy and Shadow followed her. The two had not exchanged any words either, but it was almost as they were. Their thoughts were virtually identical in every sense. Did the woman before them truly know where Henry and Rita were? How did she know them? Whatever the answers were, the two were anxious to find them.<p>

Anita's front door creaked when it opened, and it did the same when Shadow shut it. The house appeared to be empty, but a homely feel instantly made Shadow's shoulders relax. It was strange how quickly it occurred, but the atmosphere around him was over-whelmingly friendly. And to be honest, Shadow enjoyed it.

As the two wandered around in the kitchen they had entered, Anita set her purse down. She looked at the two, "If you are two are hungry, feel free to have a piece of the lemon bread on the counter. I'll be right back."

Amy smiled at Anita's hospitality as she looked toward the counter. A plastic container sat in plain sight, making her smile. She had to admit it: she was famished. Without a second thought, Amy rushed to the container and lifted the lid up. The scent instantly drew her in. She inhaled deeply, smiling at the thought of its taste. Grabbing one of the pieces that had already been cut, she turned to Shadow. "Do you want a piece?"

Shadow nodded, sitting down in one of the many chairs by the table. Amy grabbed him a piece and handed it to him, then sat down next to him. After she bit into the bread, she couldn't help but smile. It… was… so… good! The girl continued to devour the delicacy, savoring every bite. In short, it was nothing less than delicious.

The sound of Anita's footsteps and voice grew near, and the two hedgehogs sat up straight in their chairs. When she walked into the room, she was accompanied by another person. The man next to her was an elderly brown bear, probably only being a year or two older than her. He had a timeless sparkle in his eye, and it made the two smile softly. For a second he was silent before turning to Anita.

"Now remind me again who these two are?" His voice had a gruff and loveable quality to it, and it reminded Shadow of the captain.

She smiled, "This is Shadow and his friend Amy. Roger, he's Henry and Rita's son. The one born on the Ark."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at the two. Then he concentrated on Shadow before grinning. "Well, that's very interesting. So tell me," he walked over to Shadow. "What is my oldest nephew like?"

It took him a moment to realize what Roger had said, but when he did, Shadow shot up out of his seat, "What?"

Anita smiled as the perplexed hedgehog looking back and forth between the two. "I bet you didn't see that coming." Shadow simply nodded, wide eyed as he glanced back at Amy. She stood up, smiling at him as she summoned the rose. He looked at Anita and she spoke, "To put it simply… you can call me Auntie Anita."

He stared at them for awhile, shocked at the realization of who stood before him. For some unfathomable reason that he couldn't comprehend, Shadow smiled. Anita smiled and so did Roger, and Amy smiled as well. He tried to form words in response, but nothing would come out. They just grinned.

Finally after an entire second of silence, Anita spoke again. "I never thought I'd get to meet you. Rita talks about you all the time and how she would love to see you… I just can't believe I got to meet you first!"

"Yeah, I—" something shot through his mind, "Rita? She's alive?"

"Well of course she is, we send letters to each other all the time! Why would I send letters to my sister if she wasn't alive?" She asked, making Amy giggle. Shadow was silent as she looked around, "In fact…" She walked over to the table and grabbed a letter on a stack of papers, "I just wrote her one this morning. I haven't sent it yet, but maybe you would like to deliver it for me?"

Shadow's eyes widened as he looked down at the letter she held out to him. He glanced at Amy who smiled at him, then nodded. With a confident grin, Shadow nodded . "I would love to."

Anita smiled, and Roger chuckled. "Well, aren't you an eager beaver." They all looked at him, a goofy expression on his face. "Jared Beaver…" then he began to sing in a silly tone, "I was like, darling, darling, darling, yeah!"

Shadow yelped, covering his ears as Amy laughed. Anita giggled, looking at Amy. "We have a grand-daughter that just loves his music and she's always singing that song. So naturally," she looked back at Roger and Shadow. He continued to torture Shadow with the popular song, making Amy giggle.

Then Amy laughed, holding the blooming glass rose close to her. She loved when Shadow was happy, and she was sure that finding Henry and Rita was going to do just that and more. She was sure of it.

* * *

><p>Yay! It didn't take a month to update this time! :D And score, Shadow and Amy are going to find Henry and Rita soon! :D<p>

Review, review, review please!


	15. Mother? Father? And…

**Chapter 15: Mother? Father? And…**

The feeling was supposed to have disappeared, but once again, Shadow's stomach was queasy. Why was he so nervous? If these two really were his parents, they were going to accept him no matter what! Even if he had done things that he wasn't proud of, his parents were going to love him anyways. Right? Sighing, Shadow turned to Amy, hoping for that smile he was so fond of. As if she had read his thoughts, Amy smiled at him, lifting his heart in the process.

A day had passed since they visited Anita's, and now they were in the town that Rita and Henry lived in. It was about the same size as Topiary—the city was known as Nightendale—and it harbored the same homely feel as Topiary. Shadow however, couldn't fell it at the moment. They were not on the city limits, they were not a few blocks away from Henry and Rita's house, but they were standing on the very block they lived on. In a few moments they would be on the porch, knocking on their door. The very thought made him queasy.

At the moment, the two hedgehogs were shivering. It was raining in the town, and it had been since the night before. The two had slept at Anita's, so they had avoided becoming wet at night, but the rain that fell at the moment was inescapable. Each drop felt like dry ice against Shadow's skin, and that certainly did not help his mood one bit. At the moment, he would have felt calmer if he was walking into the mouth of a five ton shark.

Sighing, Shadow looked at the houses to the left of him. Slowly but surely, they were growing nearer to the house with the same address as the one on the letter. 873 North, Cherry Blossom Lane. Shadow swallowed, pulling the letter out. He whispered a chaos incantation that shielded it from the rain, then glanced at Amy. As expected, she had the glass rose in her hand. She was worried about him. He smiled softly, then looked ahead once again. Before he knew it, they were on the walkway to their door.

The two reached the stairs within a few seconds. Silently the two stepped up, their hearts pumping. What was going to happen? What did Henry and Rita look like? They stood there for a long time before either one said anything.

"Shadow," Amy whispered. The hedgehog looked at her, smiling at her kind gaze. "Are you ready for this?" She asked, clutching the budded glass rose carefully.

He nodded and whispered, "Yes." Amy nodded back, and the two looked toward to the door. Shadow sighed and pulled his hand up. He knocked on the door, and the two waited. Anxiety was not even the strongest way to describe how they felt.

For a moment, Shadow was sure that they weren't home. Or maybe, they got the wrong address. The world stood still, and just as he was ready to walk off, he heard a voice from behind the door. A feminine voice. His mother's voice. His heart skipped a beat, then another and another. After what felt like eons of waiting, the door finally opened. What the two saw sent a level of surprise and shock into their systems.

A red female hedgehog stood before them, smiling as she looked at the two. She was very young in comparison of what Shadow had been expecting, as she only appeared to be in her early twenties. She had red eyes—the same color as Shadow's—and long red hair that passed her waist. She also harbored a series of red bangs on her forehead that almost reached her eyes. As Shadow stood there staring at her, she rose an eyebrow.

"Hello," She announced, snapping Shadow out of his daze. "Can I help you?"

Shadow was silent for a moment as he stood there, but he suddenly remembered what was in his hand. "Yes, you can." He handed her the letter, and she wordlessly took it from him. "It's from your sister. She wanted us to deliver it to you."

She smiled. "Thank you! I've been expected another one of these for quite some time." She looked up at the two, suddenly pulling a worried expression. "Are you two okay?"

Shadow had forgotten that both he and Amy had been shivering in the rain. Amy shook her head, "We're freezing. We ran all the way here from Topiary."

The red hedgehog raised her eyebrows. "All the way from Topiary? My goodness, you two _must_ be freezing!" she exclaimed, stepping back. "Come on in! You two could use some warming up!" She opened the door wider, motioning the two to walk in. Without a word, they complied. When they entered, a world of warm was there to greet them.

Suddenly, she walked ahead of the two. "Here, I'm going to get you two some hot chocolate. You two can sit on the couch while I go prepare it, all right?" They nodded, and she walked off. Shadow glanced at Amy, and the girl nodded to him. They lead themselves to the living room, then sat down on the larger couch. Although they were in a warm house, the two were still shivering.

"She sure is enthusiastic, isn't she?" Amy whispered, making Shadow raise an eyebrow. He nodded and before he could say anything, a black hedgehog walked in.

"Rita, is there—" he paused when he noticed the two strangers on his furniture. He raised his eyebrows and said in a friendly tone, "Hello." The hedgehog's shape was very similar to Shadow's, as he had the four spines that pointed down, as well as the two that curved up. He even had the same chest fur as him! The biggest differences were the lack of red stripes and his blue eyes.

Shadow nodded toward him, and Amy smiled. "Hello." She replied.

He stood there for a moment before walking to the kitchen. When he was there, Amy and Shadow could hear his voice. "Rita, who are those teenagers?"

"I'm not sure dear, but they delivered Anita's letter. They walked all the way from Topiary in this weather!" Shadow and Amy smiled at her comment, and the man's voice took on a level of surprise.

"Well, that's rather impressive!" he exclaimed. "In that case, I might as well grab them a few blankets to warm up?"

They heard no other words after that, but the black hedgehog did walk back into the living room. He smiled at them for a moment, "I'll be right back." He informed them, leaving as quickly as he had appeared. The two hedgehogs glanced at each other and shrugged, then began to examine the room. There were marvelous landscape paintings on the walls, but no photos. Curiosity filled the black hedgehog, and just as he was about to question it, he heard Rita once again.

"Well, I have to say, I'm impressed with you two!" She exclaimed, walking in with two mugs. "You ran all the way from Topiary in this weather and you don't have hypothermia. If I were you, I would have been sick for sure!" Smiling, Rita handed the mugs to the two. "I'm curious. How did you do it?"

Shadow immediately took a sip of his hot chocolate while Amy smiled. "He's a fast runner. And when I say fast, I mean really fast!"

Rita smiled, "Well, I'd like to see how fast he can run!" she told them, sitting down on the loveseat next to the couch that Amy and Shadow were sitting on. Amy smiled, taking in a sip of the cocoa. The taste nearly made her squeal in delight. It was delicious! Without another thought, Amy took a large gulp of the drink. She had come to the conclusion that journeys with Shadow meant lots of good food.

"Hey," Shadow and Amy looked up at the black hedgehog, who was now holding two blankets. "Here you go." He handed one to Amy, and the other to Shadow. "Feel free to take your shoes off."

Amy smiled and nodded, putting her hot chocolate down on the coffee table. Quietly, she took off her shoes, then wrapped herself up in the blanket before grabbing the cocoa once again. Shadow did the same, and when he was done, he simply gazed at the other hedgehogs. Amy wondered what was going on in Shadow's mind at the moment…

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." The black hedgehog stated, sitting down next to Rita. "I'm Henry, and you've already met my wife, Rita." Amy nodded with a grin, and Shadow did the same. He smiled at them, then gazed at Rita.

"May I ask of what your names are?" Rita asked.

Amy smiled. "I'm Amy Rose."

"What a lovely name!" Rita stated, "And where do you live?"

"I live in Station Square." Henry and Rita raised their eyebrows, "But I was born and I lived in the kingdom of Mercia before it fell."

"So you came all the way from Station Square? Must have been some journey." Henry sighed as he cuddled up next to Rita.

Amy nodded, smiling at Shadow. "Believe me, it has."

Rita returned the smile, then gazed at Shadow. "So, what's your name?"

Amy exchanged her gaze from Rita to Shadow, and his expression left her feeling sorry for the poor hedgehog. He couldn't put the words together—much less even begin to speak at all—and it looked as if he was going to yell from the confusion. After a few moments of silence, Shadow spoke.

"My name is… um, I was born on…" Shadow paused. Fear was pulsing through his body, and he felt like he was going to throw up. Why was he so worried? Why was the fear in his body so strong that he couldn't even speak? Shadow bit his lip, looking down. Was there any reason to feel fear? The answer struck him right away. No, there was no reason to be scared. He was the Ultimate Lifeform. He had looked death in the eye countless times without even flinching, and he knew in that moment that he could do the same. Fear was not an option.

Suddenly, the hedgehog stood up. His voice brimmed with confidence. "My name is Shadow the Hedgehog, and I am the Ultimate Lifeform." Henry and Rita gazed upon him, surprise over-taking them. "A few weeks ago, I was sure that I had been created by Dr. Gerald Robotnik on the space colony ARK, but I now know that that isn't entirely true." Rita's expression changed to that of confusion, and Henry's soon followed.

"I am the Ultimate Lifeform, but I was 'born' by two parents." A shadow of doubt was pulling over him, but he pushed it away. "But when my mother was pregnant with me, there was a condition that ensured that I was going to die, and so was my mother, unless she terminated the pregnancy." Suddenly, the look in their eyes changed. Shadow glanced back at Amy for a moment, nodding when she gave him a reassuring glance. "After talking it over, my parents decided to give the embryo to Dr. Gerald Robotnik. Dr. Gerald Robotnik took me and turned me into the Ultimate Lifeform. I never saw my parents on the ARK, but a few days ago, I found out their names."

Rita stood up, her eyes wide and suddenly filling with tears.

"Henry and Rita." Shadow whispered, Henry now standing as well.

And then, it was dead silent. They stood there, staring at each other for an immeasurable amount of time. What were they thinking? Was there shock going through their mind, or was there too much disgust for such a feeling to occur? Shadow only looked at them, never letting his gaze stray. Finally, Rita stepped forward.

Her movement was hesitant, but as she moved towards him, the fear Shadow had pushed away began to return. He bit his lip, looking away. There wasn't any reason for him to be scared. Or was there? Just as Shadow was about to say something, a soft hand pulled his chin up. Suddenly, Rita was there, looking into his eyes. He stood still as she looked at him, staying silent. The realization of the tears in her eyes made Shadow swallow.

Wordlessly, Rita closed her eyes, lifting her hand to touch his cheek. Shadow did not move, Rita did not move, and neither did Henry or Amy as they watched. For a moment Rita held her breath as she put her hand on her stomach. When she opened her eyes, the look in them surprised Shadow. There was not a second to comment, for within the next moment, Rita had wrapped her arms around Shadow in a tight embrace.

Shadow jumped when such had happened, and he stayed in the surprised position for a few moments. Then, he slowly put his arms around her as well. Finally, he buried his face in her shoulder. The thought, the feeling, and the knowledge of being in the arms of his mother brought a great peace to him. He had only felt such a joy around Amy…

Finally, the two stepped back at looked at one another. Rita smiled, tears flowing down her cheeks. "My little boy. I can't tell you how much I've wanted to see you." She put her hand on his cheek again. "Well… you aren't so little anymore."

Shadow grinned, "Nope. And I'm happy to see you too." He looked at his father, smiling at the fact that Henry was trying to hide his tears. "Hey, can I get a hug from you too?"

Henry laughed at the comment, then walked over and gave Shadow a hug as well. It was quicker than the last, but it still made Shadow feel that peace. Then, he looked at the two. His parents. He couldn't help but smile, and although he couldn't see it, Amy was smiling too. Quietly, she stood up and walked over, the blanket still wrapped around her body.

"I just can't believe that I actually found you two." Shadow told them as Rita wiped the tears from her face. "Well, it's still hard to believe that I have parents." He looked at Amy, "If it wasn't for Amy, I probably wouldn't have kept looking."

Amy looked up at Shadow, surprised that he still remembered that she was there. She simply smiled at him, "It's no problem Shadow."

Shadow smiled, "No really," he leaned down and to her surprise, kissed her cheek. "Thank you." His gentle smile made her heartbeat speed up, and her cheeks suddenly burned red.

Rita giggled, "How adorable! It looks like someone has a little crush."

Shadow's cheeks suddenly turned red, and that only made Henry and Rita laugh more. Amy smiled at the comment, and Shadow soon smiled sheepishly as well. At that moment, he felt more at home than he had in a long time. And he had to admit it; he really enjoyed it.

Eventually, the four sat back in their spots. There were smiles on all of their faces, especially on Shadow's. Eventually, he spoke again, "So, I have a question for you two." He paused, studying their expressions. "Why are you two so young? You two look like you're still in your early twenties."

Henry smiled, "Ah, that my son is an excellent question." Shadow raised his eyebrows for a moment before he continued. "But first, I have a question for you. What do you remember of when you were newly finished?"

Shadow sighed as he looked up, wracking his brain for some memory of that time. Eventually he shook his head. "Not many."

"Exactly. Your first month of being finished had the equivalence of the first three years of an infant. You remembered nothing from that month, but your memory wasn't the only thing that was under-developed." Shadow hummed as he continued. "You know that Black Doom's blood is flows through your veins, correct?" Shadow nodded, and Henry smirked. "It's in ours as well." He told him, pointing towards Rita.

Shadow put on a confused expression. "I was sure genetics didn't work like that."

Henry chuckled, "No, it's not that at all." Amy and Rita giggled as well, making Shadow narrow his eyes. Henry jut grinned and continued. "When you were finished, the Dr. did some tests on you. He discovered that the properties that gave you agelessness were still present in your blood, but he also discovered that it wouldn't last. Luckily, he knew that we wanted to meet you one day, so he sent us two samples to inject into our blood."

"Interesting…" Shadow whispered as Amy put on an expression of disgust. Shadow grinned and chuckled at her demeanor, then spoke again. "Why weren't you allowed to meet me?"

"They weren't sure if you were going to be stable at first. I'm sure that you know by now about the failed attempts before you, correct?" Rita asked. Shadow nodded, "The Doctor didn't want the possibility of seeing our son as a monster. But we wanted to see you so much…" Rita whispered, making Shadow smile once again.

"When you were first finished and they allowed you to be outside, you collapsed and started crying. That's what we had heard. And when Rita heard that, she was absolutely heart-broken." Henry explained.

"Really? Where did you two learn all of this?" Shadow asked, smiling at the fact that his mother had cared for him even when she had never seen him.

"The Doctor sent us letters about you. Things he learned about you, your abilities, and what happened when you were finished." Henry explained. "Plus, I am a doctor. Not like Dr. Robotnik was, but a regular doctor."

Shadow grinned. "That's very nice. I'm guessing you have a lot of income?"

"A bit of an off topic question, but yes." Henry smiled.

Shadow glanced at Amy, and smiled once again. She grinned back, making his heart race for a moment. She had been right. They didn't even know him well enough to love them, but they did anyways. If she hadn't have come along, he was sure that he wouldn't have met them. He flashed a toothy grin at her before he looked at the two of them again. "In that case, I have another off topic question."

"Go ahead!" Henry exclaimed.

Shadow smiled at the enthusiasm, "This may seem like an odd question, but do I… have any siblings?"

Rita's grin was the answer, but she continued anyways. "Yes, you do!" Shadow and Amy smiled in surprise at her eagerness, and she continued. "There's Johnny, he's twenty-four and he's married and has a little girl. There's also Ralph and he's twenty-one, and then there's Tina. She's in her last year of high school. In fact, she'll be home in a few minutes." Shadow smiled, and before he could ask her anything, she spoke again. "Oh yeah! There's also—" she stopped, and suddenly her eyes grew very wide. She shot her gaze at Henry, and when he saw her expression, his eyes also grew wide.

Without any fair warning, the two were suddenly standing up. "I can't believe I forgot!" Rita grabbed Shadow's hand, then pulled him off the couch. Desperately, Shadow grabbed Amy's hand as Rita dragged him off. "She's been so busy with her latest project that I forgot all about her down there!" Rita exclaimed, leading the two off towards a room to the back of the house; Henry following with an excited expression.

"Wait, who's where? What is—"

"I'm such a knucklehead!" Rita exclaimed, bringing them to a staircase that lead to their basement. She literally ran the two down the stairs, leaving Shadow to exchange a confused glance with Amy. They shrugged, then looked forward again as they reached a large room similar to their living room upstairs. "Well, that's okay, isn't it Henry?"

Henry chuckled, "Sure is."

She smiled once again, them led them down a hallway to a door covered in paintings of Henry, Rita, and many other people and things. There was no time to examine them because Rita had opened the door and walked through the doorway.

"Sunny-girl, we have a visitor for you." She told someone inside the room. Then, she let go of Shadow's hand and motioned the two inside the room. Shadow nodded, then stepped inside.

Amy walked in after him, her eyes instantly going to the girl on the other side of the room. She too was a hedgehog, but she looked so different compared to the others in the house. She was a bright yellow with long hair that curled up, and she also had vibrant blue eyes. Her outfit included a pair of messy jeans, a paint covered tee-shirt, and a pair of white tennis shoes. The girl was also wearing an apron with a respectable amount of paint, but Amy suddenly found herself watching the girl run up to Shadow.

Suddenly, she was embracing him in a tight hug, making Amy raise her eyebrows. She wanted to say something, but when the hug ended and she saw Shadow's shocked expression, she didn't know what to say. He gaped at the yellow girl as she grinned at him, and when he finally spoke, Amy found herself gapping as well.

"M-Maria?"

She smiled at him and nodded, "It's been a long time, little brother."

* * *

><p>Holy crap. Who saw that coming? Anyone surprised? Now here's a question. What was the better cliff-hanger, chapter 12 or this one?<p>

Review please! It means the world to me! :D


	16. Part of Something Bigger

**Chapter 16: Part of Something Bigger**

For a moment, all Shadow could do was stare and gap. She was… alive! Maria Robotnik, his sister and best friend was alive! After years of knowing that she was dead, here she was before him, alive and well! And to add even more shock to the situation, she was a hedgehog! A hedgehog! The silence that had taken him was shattered within a few seconds.

"Maria! You—you're alive! How are you alive? Why are you a hedgehog? How in the world did—I— what— Maria! You're alive!" And yet even as he talked, he couldn't find the right words. He glanced back at Amy, who looked just as shocked as he did, then back to Maria. She simply smiled, and that made him smile again. This time, a feeling of peace overcame him.

"I don't remember you ever being so eager, Shadow." Maria told him. "What's come over you?"

Shadow chuckled, then shrugged. He tried to find an answer, but nothing would come. What was he feeling? In the simplest terms, it was joy. Without another word, Shadow hugged the girl again. She hugged him back, and for a moment, it was dead silent. Soon, Rita spoke yet again.

"Oh, aren't you glad that I remembered?" She asked as Shadow turned back to her, smiling as he gazed at his parents. As expected, they were both grinning at him.

Shadow nodded, then glanced back at Maria. "Yes, I am." He then turned to Amy again, unable to control his emotions. She was smiling as well, and she then looked at Maria. For a moment he sensed that something was amiss. There was something in her eye that only Shadow caught, but before he could ask her, she spoke.

"Um…" Amy spoke, all eyes suddenly on her. "Hello Maria." It was more than obvious that she was nervous at the moment. "I'm Amy."

Maria smiled, "It's nice to meet you Amy!"

Amy smiled and nodded, "It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you."

"Have you now?" She grinned, then looked at Shadow, a brow raised. "Have you been bragging about me, Shadow?"

Shadow just grinned, "Just a little." Maria smirked yet again, and Shadow nodded. The silence fell for what seemed like the billionth time, and everyone continued to exchange glances. It didn't last nearly as long as the previous quiet. "Maria, how did you survive? And… why do you look like you're as old as Amy?" He paused, "Wait… is there—"

"The same way that Henry and Rita survived." Maria told him. "The only difference is that my grandfather gave me the shot long before Henry and Rita received it."

Shadow nodded, "That makes sense. But that doesn't explain why you're a hedgehog. If I recall, the last time I saw you, you were a human. Not a hedgehog. And while I'm at it, how did you survive that bullet? You were shot a point-blank Maria!"

Maria nodded, then sighed as a soft smile formed on her lips. "I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out by yourself. If your blood at such a young age has the ability to make others ageless, don't you think it would have other capabilities?" Maria paused, and Shadow nodded in-between the silence. "My grandfather finished you with the goal of making you the Ultimate Lifeform, and he succeeded in doing just that. Your blood in its first state had many capabilities. You know about the agelessness, but there are two others that are very important."

"You heal faster than any other Mobian on the planet. Faster than even Sonic the Hedgehog, correct?" Shadow nodded. "And you rarely get sick. When your blood was injected into our bloodstreams, we acquired many of those benefits. The three of us—Henry, Rita and I—rarely get sick. When we are harmed, we heal faster than most Mobians. We do not heal as fast as you do, but we heal fast. And of course, we can survive attacks that most people cannot."

"When I was shot, I didn't die. But it sure did look like I did, didn't I?" Maria asked. Shadow nodded solemnly before continuing. "I was knocked into a coma. My body used that time to heal itself and to change. When I went into the coma I was a human, but when I woke up, I was a hedgehog. If you didn't notice, your blood is only in other hedgehogs."

Shadow nodded, "Oh, I get it now. My blood was only compatible with someone of the same species, so instead of killing you, it changed you into a hedgehog as well."

Maria nodded, "Now you're getting it!"

Shadow nodded in reply, then paused for a moment. When the realization struck him, he suddenly felt very excited. "I just thought of something. In general, my blood prevents me from being sick or getting deadly diseases, right?"

"Yep."

"So does that mean that your disease… is gone?" Shadow asked.

Maria smiled, and he knew the answer before she even spoke. "Yes Shadow."

The over-whelming sense of joy filled Shadow. She was healed! Before anyone could speak another word, Shadow had hugged her again. There was simply nothing to explain how he felt. Happiness was a blank understatement. "Maria, that is amazing." He backed up and put his hands on her shoulder. "I'm so happy for you."

"It's all thanks to you Shadow." Maria told him.

And once again, the overwhelming happiness filled him. This time, he simply smiled. "Oh, I think this calls for a celebration!" Rita exclaimed. "How about some ice cream?"

Shadow looked back and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Oh, I'd love some!" Maria exclaimed.

Henry simply smiled and nodded, and that made Rita smile back. "Alrighty! Last one upstairs has to dish it up!" And with that, they all headed upstairs.

Everyone expect for Amy. Amy stood there for a moment, staring off into the distance as she pondered about what had just happened. A few minutes ago, they had been upstairs, talking to Shadow's parents for the first time. There had been a happy scene of parent and child being reunited as well as a long explanation as to why they were still alive. Within the explanation came a question. Did Shadow have siblings? Yes. Three siblings by direct relation and one adopted. And that adopted sister was Maria.

His smile had made everything worth it. She knew for a fact that he was happy. Maria was his best friend, and she meant the world to him. He had mourned for her in years past, but now he didn't have to remember those dark memories. In every moment of sadness, he would have Maria to turn to, just like he used to.

That meant he didn't need Amy anymore. It made her sad and a little jealous, but she knew that Maria was the girl he needed. Maria had always been Shadow's number one, so who was to say that anything would change? Amy knew that no matter what, she'd always be number two. Sally was more important to Sonic than her, and Maria was more important to Shadow than she was.

But he was happy, and that was what mattered. A half-hearted smile fell upon her lips. If everything was going to be okay with Shadow, then it was time to go. With that final thought, Amy tip-toed up the stairs. She could hear their voices as she continued her silent walk to the back door. They were speaking of joyful times, explaining what their lives had been like after being separated from each other, and she knew just by their tones that they were happy. He was happy.

Amy nodded to herself and opened the back door. She was as cautious as possible as she slid through the doorway, and then closed it behind her. As soon as she was outside, she made a run for it. She didn't know why, but she ran. Maybe it was from Shadow, or maybe it was from the happy family. Or perhaps, she was running from herself if that was even possible. She didn't know for what reason she was fleeing. All she knew was that she was running. The rain was nothing but a light drizzle at the moment…

* * *

><p>Shadow took another bite of his ice cream, analyzing the flavor with a deep intensity. There was rich chocolaty flavor, chunks of nuts and marshmallows, as well as a bit of caramel in the mix. It was tasty, but he had had better ice cream before. At the time being however, it was just what he needed. He smiled and swallowed the bite, then continued to scoop more ice cream into his mouth.<p>

Shadow glanced at Maria and the two exchanged a smile. She had chosen vanilla ice cream as her treat. It only made sense to him that she would chose vanilla. Maria had always been one for the simple things in life. Amy on the other hand liked things with lots of razzle and dazzle. Speaking of which, where was Amy? Just as he was about to ask, the sound of the front door froze his voice.

"Mom, dad, I'm home!" A girl's voice called, followed by a black hedgehog walking into the room. She was carrying a backpack and a tired expression.

"How was school, honey?" Rita asked as she continued to dish out her husband's ice cream.

"It was good, expect for when Mrs. Johnson gave us three assignments that are due next time in class. Worst part is that they'll take almost two hours each." She sighed.

Shadow simply raised his eyebrows and smiled. Ah, this had to be Tina. "Well, that's not too bad." Henry sighed.

"This is Johnson we're talking about dad. She—" She finally looked at Shadow and paused mid-thought. "Hello." She suddenly told him.

He smiled, "Hello. I'm assuming you're Tina?"

She nodded, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to make sure." Shadow told her as he stood up out of his chair. "Hey, I'm going to get Amy to come upstairs, okay?" They simply nodded in response. Shadow did not say another word, but walked off towards the staircase. Within a fraction of a second, he was downstairs.

"Hey Amy, we're having ice cream upstairs! Don't you want to come have some?" He called, walking into Maria's room. To his surprise, she was no where to be found. His expression became one of confusion as he glanced around the room, then walked out and continued to search the basement. Upstairs he could hear Tina asking Henry and Rita who Shadow was, but at the moment he didn't really mind. Where had she gone?

Shadow hummed before dashing back up the stairs. He could hear Henry, "Oh, he's your oldest brother." Shadow smirked, then walked back into the room. There wasn't a fraction of surprise that filled him as he noticed Tina's shocked expression.

"Hey, Amy's not downstairs." Shadow told them.

"That's weird, she was down there just a second ago." Maria stated, putting her spoon down in her bowl. "Maybe she went out for a walk?"

Shadow nodded, "Possibly. I'm going to go look for her." Shadow told them, heading toward the door. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he was outside, he dashed off. He wasn't sure if he knew where he was going, but he had an idea of where Amy was heading. The only question was why. Why was she leaving at now of all times? Shadow shook his head. Amy was far too important to him to disappear on him like that. Shadow smiled softly at the thought and increased his speed.

* * *

><p>When Amy stopped running, she found herself gasping for proper breath. She sure had pushed herself. Perhaps she had pushed herself a little too hard? Yes, she had. Sighing, Amy began to walk down the street. She couldn't run as fast or as long as Shadow could, so running all the way home was not an option. Maybe she could take the bus the rest of the way? Amy nodded to herself and continued onward.<p>

The soft sprinkles of rain were not enough to make her shiver, but they were cold enough to make Amy wish she had brought a jacket. Where was the bus stop in Nightendale? It probably would have been a good idea to ask Henry and Rita before leaving. Then again, they would have asked her why she wanted to know. She would have had to explain and they probably would have begged her to stay longer, and that was the last thing she would have liked. No, she was sure she could find the bus stop by herself.

Luckily, it only took her a few minutes to find the correct street. Within a few moments, she spotted the sign. Yes! Now all she had to do was walk over and wait for the bus to come. She sighed triumphantly as she gazed upon the sign. Just as she was about to take another step, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Hey!" A hand grabbed onto her wrist, making her heart skip a beat. Just as she was ready to pull out her Piko Piko hammer, she turned around. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Shadow!" she exclaimed. She hadn't expected him to notice her leave. "Um, I was just—"

"You weren't trying to leave were you?" Shadow asked her. She sheepishly gazed down at her shoes as she bit her lip. Shadow shook his head, "Amy, you don't need to leave! After everything we've been through on this adventure of ours, do you think I'd throw you out just because I get to see Maria again?"

Amy's cheeks burned red. "Um…"

Shadow sighed, then smiled softly. "You're far too important to me. You know that right?" Shadow told her, resulting in her cheeks brightening into a darker shade of red. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but you're just as important to me as Maria is. Maybe… even a little more."

His words made her heart skip a beat. Had he really just said that? Had Shadow the Hedgheog just told her that she was more important than Maria to him? She stared at him, her eyes wide. "Oh."

"Oh is right." Shadow told her. Amy nodded, and Shadow smiled. "Now that you know, would you like to hang out with me for a little while longer?"

Amy looked at him carefully, then smiled and nodded. "Yes. I would love to Shadow."

Shadow smiled, "That's what I like to hear." And flawlessly, he scooped her up in his arms. He dashed off, not noticing that Amy was still blushing. He really liked her that much? At that instant, she decided that Shadow was her favorite hedgehog, no matter what.

* * *

><p>Finally! Woo, this took a while to release, but I have a very legitimate reason as to why it took me forever to post this. I'm sure you're all familiar with computer crashing... well, I had my first run in with that disaster recently. Hopefully, I can get my real computer fixed soon. In the mean time, I have a slower computer to work with, but I know I can do it!<p>

Anyways... this one chapter is less shocking. A softer chapter, focusing on what? Shadamy moments! :D And hey, I got a one-shot and a chapter of Glass Rose posted on the same day! That is a win in my book. :)

Review, review, review please! Oh, and thanks to all of you who have favorited, followed, and reviewed the story so far! It means a lot to me!


	17. That's a Lot of Words

**Chapter 17: That's a Lot of Words**

The door cautiously opened and his mother's voice called to him. "Shadow, it's time to get up! Come on downstairs for some breakfast!" Shadow's ear twitched at the sound, but he did his best to ignore it. After staying up so late watching movies, he was in the mood to lie in bed and catch a few 'Zs.' Of course, no one agreed with his plan. After a few moments of quiet, Rita growled. "Shadow, you need to get up! You even said you'd get up early for the occasion."

Shadow swatted his hand at the air, "Five more minutes…" He nearly chuckled at himself. He sounded like a traditional teenager woken up for school.

Rita sighed, "Fine. I'll have Amy wake you up instead."

He listened to the sounds of her footsteps before he yawned and rolled onto his side, pulling the pillow over his head in the process. What would Amy do to him? Hit him with her Piko Piko hammer? If that was the case, then he didn't have too much time left to sleep. At least he'd get a few precious seconds before she came in and disturbed his half-conscious state of mind.

It been a week since they had arrived at Henry and Rita's house, and the two had made themselves at home. They had become acquainted with the family, had their own rooms that they stayed in, and even helped out with the daily chores. The feeling that accompanied their companionship with his newly discovered family was pleasing, and Shadow couldn't help but smile every time he reflected on his situation. At the moment, there was nothing that could have gone wrong.

"Hey Shadow, it's time to get up!" The familiar voice only barely managed to pull Shadow out of his half living state. Shadow would have rolled his eyes if he could have, but instead, he simply kept his eyes shut. Maybe if he pretended that he was asleep, she would eventually leave him alone.

It was as if she had read his mind, "Shadow, I know you're awake." Shadow only smirked to himself. "If you don't get up, I'm going to give you flying burrito." What on Mobius was a flying burrito? Inhaling deeply, Shadow tossed the thought aside. If he concentrated on sleep, maybe he'd eventually drift off again. And maybe if he was lucky, he would—

A sudden weight knocked all of the breath out of Shadow. What in the world? The hedgehog tried to roll on his side to see what had been dropped on him, but he quickly discovered that he couldn't. He attempted to readjust himself again, and luckily, he was successful. The weight disappeared for a moment as he rolled onto his back, but as soon as he was lying down again, it returned in full force.

"I told you that I'd give you a flying burrito, Shadow." The pillow was lifted off his face, and he instantly saw what had caused him to gasp. There was Amy, sitting comfortably on Shadow. She smiled innocently, making Shadow raise an eyebrow.

"If I would have known what it had meant, I would have gotten out of bed." Shadow told her.

Amy smiled, "That's the magic of surprises! I just wanted to see how you'd react, to be honest."

Shadow smirked. "Was it everything you hoped it would be?"

She shrugged and slid off the bed. "More or less. I should have expected you to do nothing, but I had hoped for at least a yelp. Oh well. Maybe next time I'll use my hammer?" She asked him in a sickly sweet voice.

Shadow sat up, "And play whack-a-hedgehog again?" Amy giggled, "I don't think so."

Amy rolled her eyes and smiled, "Whatever." She adjusted her headband as Shadow stood up out of his bed. "Just hurry up. Rita made French Toast!"

He nodded, smiling at the thought of more of his mother's delicious cooking. Amy soon walked off, and Shadow continued to get ready. Of course, it didn't take too long because the only thing he had to do was change his socks. He'd take a shower later, but at the moment, the scent of the wonderful food was too much to keep him away.

Within a few seconds, the two hedgehogs joined the others around the table. By then, Shadow was so over-whelmed with the scent of the breakfast that he couldn't help himself. Without even bothering to say hello to his family, Shadow grabbed the nearest empty plate and gathered several pieces of French toast. He took a fork, swiped a cup, and sat at the table. Then he poured himself some orange juice and glanced at his options for French Toast decoration.

He hummed. Syrup, jelly, or peanut butter? A fourth option caught his eye and he grabbed it without another word. Shadow popped the lid off the tasty treat then poured it onto the French Toast. Shadow's smile widened as he watched it fall. Yum…

Amy sat next to him, and Maria soon sat across from them. Amy smiled at Shadow when he looked up at her, but her expression soon became confused. "You put Hershey syrup on your French Toast?"

Shadow shrugged, "Yeah, so?"

Henry sat down at the head of the table, "It's not that weird. I do the same thing." He told them, smiling at Rita as she sat down next to him.

Shadow nodded. "See, it's not that weird!"

Tina sat down too, "So if more than one person does it, it's not considered weird?"

"It seems as if the statement is true." Shadow told her as he cut off a piece of the French toast.

Tina grinned, "Sweet! You hear that Maria, we aren't considered to be weird anymore!"

Maria smiled, "Yes!"

Amy raised her eyebrows, "What did you guys do?"

The high schooler smiled, "Oh nothing. We just drank a bunch of pickle juice like it was pop."

"Then we stalked her classmates all day." Maria told them.

"And we finished the day with a marathon of our favorite super hero movies. While eating some chocolate coated bugs we found at the party store, of course." Tina finished, smiling at the glances she was receiving from Shadow and Amy. "Since Maria did all of this with me, that means I'm not weird, right?"

Shadow chuckled, "Nope, you're still considered weird."

Tina pounded her fist on the table, "Dang. You hear that Maria?"

"Yes. We are still strange..." Amy smiled at their enthusiasm, shaking her head as she cut off a piece of her French toast. She had been surprised when she had discovered how goofy Maria was, especially since she had heard all of Shadow's praise concerning the girl. In all of his stories, she had been portrayed as a quiet and thoughtful girl. Of course, she felt as if she should have suspected it. Since Shadow was so much more optimistic, wasn't the expectation of an eccentric Maria considered normal? Amy nodded to herself as she continued to eat.

Shadow chuckled, "Still strange, eh? What other weird things have you guys done?"

Maria smiled, "We have a whole book full. If we tried to explain everything that we've done so far to you guys, it would take a few hours."

"It's true." Rita smirked and nodded. "Those two could go on and on about everything they've done… it would take a good few days for them to explain everything."

Shadow smiled at her words as he continued to eat. "What about your brothers? Are they as weird as you?" Amy asked Tina and Maria, eyeing them carefully as she spoke.

"Johnny and Ralph? Oh yeah, those two are extreme weird-os." Tina explained, cutting herself a large piece of French Toast as she continued, "But they aren't as weird as us. Johnny is real serious most of the time, but Ralph knows how to have fun."

"Why is Johnny so serious?" Shadow asked, taking a large bite in the process.

"Beats me. Why don't you go ask him yourself? He'll be here in a few minutes." Tina told him. "Ralph too."

Shadow looked up at the clock and so did the rest of the gang. "Yep. So remind me," He turned to Henry and Rita, "What are we doing again?"

Henry rolled his eyes as Rita spoke, "We're going to get some family pictures taken."

"Ah," Shadow nodded as he finished up his current piece.

"Cause some of us won't stay young forever." Tina stated in a matter-of-factly voice. "You guys on the other hand," she continued, pointing to her parents, then her older siblings. "Will. Do you even know how cool that is?"

"Well, there—" The doorbell rang, and Rita shot up out of her seat. "Ohh, they're here!" She exclaimed, running off with a smile on her face. Shadow and Amy glanced at each other for a second and smiled. Even at her age, Rita was energetic and always ready to go. Shadow nodded and looked down at his plate. Empty. He needed another piece of French Toast, pronto.

As he grabbed another piece of French Toast (as well as the chocolate syrup), he could hear voices from the other room. There was a deep booming voice, a gentle fluttering voice, and the cooing that could only belong to a newborn baby. He smiled and turned back, raising his eyebrows when he saw the family before him: a hedgehog, a cat, and their child in the cat's arms. Rita smiled as she motioned to them.

"Shadow, Amy, this is Johnny and his family." Rita explained, pointing to the black hedgehog with her own red eyes.

"Hello," Johnny's voice was nothing like his father's, and it surprised Shadow a little bit. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The orange cat beside him smiled at the family, and Shadow smiled back as he stood up.

Shadow smiled as he reached his hand out, "The same goes for me."

Johnny grabbed his hand and shook it, his eyes widening slightly. "So are you _the_ Shadow the Hedgehog?" Shadow nodded, "Well, it's very nice to meet you indeed." He told him, his voice still calm. "This is my wife Isabel and our daughter Lucy." Isabel turned the toddler in her arms a bit so she could look at the others. She had her mother's gray eyes and a wide smile on her face.

"Gah-pa!" She exclaimed when she saw Henry.

Henry smiled as she put Lucy down. She ran to her grandfather and put her arms around him in a tight hug. Johnny grinned down at his daughter for a moment before he turned to Shadow yet again. He glanced at him for just a moment before he turned to his mother.

"So mom, what's the special occasion for family pictures?" He asked.

"I wanted to take some pictures with your older brother." She told him before the door rang once again. "Oh, I'll be right back."

Johnny raised an eyebrow and turned to Shadow. "You don't look like you're older than me. Then again, our mother and father look younger than me, so it's not too surprising."

Shadow smirked, but before he could talk, Amy spoke yet again. "Darn it!" She exclaimed, making everyone turned to her. "That wasn't funny."

Shadow folded his arms. "What wasn't funny?"

"His reaction! I hoped he would have at least gapped or something." She sighed, standing up out of her chair.

"And why do you say that?" Johnny folded his arms as well.

Amy smirked, "Tina wasn't able to shut her mouth for an hour when she found out."

Tina sighed in her seat, "Yeah, it's true." Maria chuckled at her, resulting in a joking glare being shot at her.

Johnny shrugged, "That's okay." He told them. "And hey, just because you didn't get a good reaction out of me doesn't mean that you can't get a good one out of Ralph."

Shadow, Amy, Maria, and Tina all suddenly smiled mischievously. No, the correct term was devilishly. Johnny's ear flopped down as he looked around. "Did I say something wrong?" They did not answer him, but instead, all ran off to the front room. They were going to have some fun with the news…

* * *

><p>Shadow's eyes widened at the way the manager of "Forever Photos" dressed. Never before in his life had he seen someone wear so many vibrant colors in his life. Had he ever even seen that shade of pink before? Except for Amy's color, most shades of pink irritated Shadow. This guy however… he brought on a new level of irritation to him. How was he to put it softly? He would have rather gouged his eyes out with knives than look at his outfit. Just as he was ready to scream, a tap on his shoulder made him turn around.<p>

"Shadow, it's best not to stare." Amy told him, a smile on her face.

Shadow looked down at her for a moment before glancing back. "I know," he whispered, "It's just that his outfit is so… pink."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "I'm pink. How about you stare at me instead?"

"Gladly." Shadow told her as the pink hedgehog led him off to the wall.

Amy chuckled, "So you like staring at me?"

Shadow was silent for a second. "It depends. What will you do if I say yes?"

"It depends."

Shadow smiled and shook his head. "You seem to like quoting me."

Amy nodded, "You are very quotable, my friend."

"I've noticed." he whispered, looking up at the photos and quotes on the wall. "You know what else is quotable? This wall."

Amy looked up, "Yes, it is." She gazed at the words for a moment. "Take a picture, it will last longer." Shadow looked down at her, raising an eyebrow in the process. "A picture's worth a thousand words." She paused and looked at Shadow. "Since they're going to take pictures of you and your family, does that mean that _you're _worth a thousand words?"

Shadow shrugged, "Sure." An idea was born at that moment. It was silly, yes, but he wanted to share it anyways. "In fact, I want you to come up with a thousand words to describe me from your point of view."

"Right now?" She seemed a little surprised.

"You can start now, but you can take as long as you like."

She hummed for a moment. "Do they have to be words, or can they be phrases?"

"Just use a thousand words, that's all I need."

Amy nodded, "And what do I get if I win?"

He shrugged, "A cookie?"

Amy's eyes lit up. "Alrighty, I'm going to get those thousand words!" Shadow chuckled at her and shook his head. A cookie was the determination for her to finish those words? He smiled and looked down at her. What a goofy girl she was.

"Hey guys," Maria called, making them turn to her, "It's time to take the pictures!"

"Oh, right." Shadow nodded and followed Maria. Amy walked close behind, beginning her challenge as they continued onward.

"Let's see… Black hedgehog. Red stripes and eyes. Wears yellow bracelets and white gloves. Is pretty darn awesome." Shadow smiled at that one. How descriptive she could be sometimes…

Shadow nodded to himself and looked up. "Come on Shadow!" Rita called, "It's time for the pictures!" Shadow smiled and walked over. The pile compiled of Henry and Rita, Maria, Johnny, Isabel, Lucy, Ralph, Tina, and of course, Shadow. For a few moments when he reached them, there was nothing but utter chaos. With the help of the photographer, however, they soon were able to find a spot to sit in and have their pictures taken.

As the photographer continued to do his work, Shadow couldn't help but glance up at Amy. She was standing next to Ralph's girlfriend, Dennie, and she was smiling at him. For some reason, Shadow couldn't look away from her. Every time a picture was taken, he'd take a second to glance at her and examine her smile. What was it about her that made him sit and stare?

A quick elbow to the back from Maria made him snap out of his daze and look back at the camera. Did she realize he was staring? Of course she did, it was Maria for crying out loud! Of course, if she recognized his staring, did that mean that she realized that he—?

"Alright, you guys are all finished!" The photographer exclaimed, making Shadow look up. Already? That sure had been fast.

"Cool!" Ralph, Shadow's red brother exclaimed, ready to stand up out of his spot.

"Hey wait, can we take a few more with Dennie and Amy?" Rita asked, making the family raise an eyebrow.

The photographer nodded, "Sure, but it will cost you."

"That's just fine with me!" Rita exclaimed, a soft smile on her face.

"In that case," The photographer turned to Dennie and Amy, "Why don't you come over here," she led them over to the group and sat Dennie next to Ralph. "You sit here, and you sit next to him." Amy was placed next to Shadow, making him smile. Was it lucky or had it been done on purpose?

Amy smiled at him and whispered, "Very quotable." Ah, her next words. Shadow grinned and looked back at the camera. The family smiled large grins, did goofy faces when they needed to, and stretched when it was all over. Soon afterwards, they all headed out of the shop after they paid.

They chatted among themselves as they walked back to Henry and Rita's house. Ralph told jokes to his girlfriend and younger sister, Johnny discussed his latest fishing trip with his father, and Rita talked with Maria and her daughter in law. Shadow and Amy, of course, decided to continue their challenge.

"Not very tall." Shadow gave her a funny look, but she continued anyways. "Very good at video games. Strong and super fast. A little bit temperamental, but has a soft side." She looked up at Shadow and sighed. "I have to get a thousand for the cookie?"

"A thousand words and no less." Shadow smirked.

Amy growled and pulled her hands into fists. "Okay… I can do this." She sighed and took in a deep breath, "Can be an ornery butt, likes to beat Sonic, doesn't wear clothes except for his shoes, has black and white shoes, is a super fast reader, has super powered senses, can use chaos powers, thinks Amy is awesome, hates Jared Beaver, likes rock music, jumps from windows, never has enough stinking hats, is over fifty years old, has three younger siblings, teases Amy, and makes pretty roses!" She gasped for breath after she finished her words, making Shadow nod and raise his eyebrows.

"Not bad Amy. Only nine hundred words to go." Shadow smirked.

Amy sighed, "Aw…" She shook her head, "No, I know I can do it!"

Shadow smiled and patted her head, "I'm sure you can."

"Of course I—"

"Hey, did one of you mention Jared Beaver a few seconds ago?" Shadow turned back and looked at Ralph.

"Well, yes. Why do you ask?" Amy responded.

"He apparently disappeared a few days ago." Ralph told them, making Amy gasp. "He was last seen in a small town near this tree that was shaped like a cabbage…" he trailed off, slowing down as the two continued on.

"That's terrible!" Amy exclaimed, "Oh, I hope that he's—" She paused. Hadn't she seen a cabbage shaped tree in Topiary? "Shadow…" she whispered, "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Shadow shrugged, "Do with what Amy?" He asked in an innocent tone.

Amy gritted her teeth, "Oh, you're going to get it Shadow!" She pulled out her Piko Piko hammer, making the black hedgehog laugh.

"Only if you can catch me!" He exclaimed, dashing off before she could land a hit.

"Get back here!" She exclaimed, running after him. Shadow only laughed again as he ran, and his family laughed too, especially Maria.

As the pink hedgehog chased the black one, Maria whispered quietly to Rita, "They are _so _going to end up together."

"Why do you think I had her and Dennie in the picture?" Rita smiled. Maria nodded to herself and watched the two chase each other in circles and down the streets. Yes, she was going to make Shadow happy. That was a fact.

* * *

><p>Final chapter of 2011! :D The next chapter of Glass Rose will be posted in 2012? How cool is that?<p>

Anyways... woo-hoo! Finished the chapter! I had fun with it. :)

Review please! Shadow may give you a cookie if you do. :D


	18. May I Say That I That I'm Shocked?

** Chapter 18: May I Say That I'm Shocked**

Sitting upside-down on a soft recliner had a tendency of making all the blood rush to one's head. That rule was no exception to Amy. As she sat there with her legs on the recliner and her head on the floor, she watched Shadow and Maria battle against each other on a fighting game. The three were rotating when it came to turns, and Amy was going to play against the winner. So far, it seemed as if she was going to fight against Maria in the next round.

Their day had been spent relaxing and getting to know Shadow's siblings, as well as teaching Lucy that Shadow was her oldest uncle. It had been funny trying to make the toddler understand who Shadow was, and at some points within their lecture, it seemed as if Shadow was more confused than the little girl. After lunch and their "lesson with Lucy," everyone had gone off to watch sports on the television or talk. Of course, the trio of Shadow, Amy, and Maria were the exception to that.

Tina had left to hang out with some friends, so that had left the other three with little to do. In their boredom, they had gone off to the basement to play a fighting game. And somehow, Maria was a pro at it. Every time Shadow lost, Amy couldn't help but laugh, especially since he was facing such a humiliating defeat at the moment. Not once during the entire battle had Shadow actually landed a successful hit, leaving Maria's character with full health.

Maria laughed as she guarded another one of his attacks, "It's no use Shadow! Siegfried's attacks have nothing on Setsuka! Prepare to lose!"

Shadow gritted his teeth, "You little—wait, no, agh!" Within seconds, the letters "K.O." flashed upon the screen, making Shadow growl. Once again, Maria had defeated him. Maria laughed, pointing a finger at him.

"Ha! In your face Shadow!" She exclaimed as Shadow folded his arms.

He sighed, "You got lucky…."

"That's what you say!" Maria told him, grabbing his controller in the process. "In all actuality, I've been playing games like this for years, so I am better than you at them." Maria handed the controller to the upside-down Amy, who took it without a word. "I could probably beat you in my sleep." Shadow didn't reply, but instead watched as Amy and Maria selected a character, then a stage.

Under the control of Maria, the character Maxi charged toward the character Talim. The first strike hit her with ease, but soon after, it seemed as if Talim was gaining the upper hand. Before long, Amy had won, and after that, she won two more battles, declaring her the champ. Shadow raised his eyebrows as he looked at Maria. "So you'll go easy on Amy, but you don't hold back on me?"

"I'm upside-down." Amy told him. "That's why."

Shadow glanced back at Maria, who shrugged. The black hedgehog rolled his eyes and smiled, then took the controller that Maria offered. "I don't feel like beating you up again. Besides, I was meaning to call Shaun anyways. You two can play for a few rounds." The girl told them as she stood up.

"Who's Shaun?" Shadow asked, selected Kilik as his character.

Maria looked down at the two again, "Oh yeah, I didn't tell you guys about Shaun." She stated, taking a cell phone out of her pocket. "He's my boyfriend."

An aura of shock fell upon the black and red hedgehog and his pink friend. Amy gasped, "You have a boyfriend?"

Maria smiled. "Yep. Does that surprise you?"

"Well, yeah." Amy stated as the battle started. "What's he like?"

"He's funny and sweet, and he's…" Maria trailed off as the character Shadow had selected continued to attack Amy's character, Sophitia. "How about I let you meet him?"

Amy smiled, "I'd love to. What about you, Shadow?"

Shadow growled. "I seriously can't believe that you have a boyfriend. How old is he?"

Rolling her eyes, Maria smacked him on the head. "That's my business!"

The black hedgehog smirked, "What, is he fifty years old? You know, so you'd end up marrying someone your own age?" Amy giggled at his comment, and Maria huffed.

"You'll find out soon enough, you little poop!"

Shadow stopped his attack and looked up at Maria, raising an eyebrow. "You little poop? You know, for being my 'older sister,' you sure do act like a little kid sometimes." Maria stuck her tongue out at Shadow, and Shadow did the same back. Amy merely chuckled.

"You both act like little kids." Amy told them, attacking Shadow's character once again. "Of course, I imagined that Shadow was going to say something 'intelligent' so he could verify his point."

Shadow turned to her, "Verify my point? Perhaps I was mistaken. It's you who acts like a child."

Amy nodded, "That's because technically, I am a child. And a child that just won this round!" Shadow looked at the screen to see that, sure enough, his character had been brutally knocked out. He put on a defeated expression and sighed.

"I just can't win, can I?" Shadow whispered as the next battle started.

Amy smiled and nodded. "Can't win against girls on Soul Calibur three no matter how hard he tries; fails at video games."

Shadow sighed, "One hundred and eighteen."

Maria's expression changed to that of confusion, but she shook her head. "Whatever. Just tell me when you guys want to go, okay?"

The two nodded and responded with an absent minded, "Sure." Maria rolled her eyes and shook her head, walking off in the process. It hadn't shocked her when Shadow had been excited to go play video games, but when Amy had ended up being excited, it had made Maria a little surprised. She had never expected Amy to be the type of girl to like video games… then again; maybe she was playing just to spend some time with Shadow.

The death cry of Shadow's character echoed from the TV again, and Maria turned to watch the character Amy had selected gloat. Maria smiled, especially when Shadow turned to Amy. "How on Mobius did you beat me?"

"You? The Ultimate Lifeform? Why I don't know! It is such a mystery for someone like me—however insignificant I am—could actually beat you in a fighting game." She exclaimed, Shadow's eyes narrowing in the process.

"You little…" He whispered, making Amy chuckle.

"Is a poor loser when it comes to video games."

Shadow sighed and stood up, "One hundred and twenty-eight."

* * *

><p>The dying light of the sun cast elongated shadows on the streets of Nightendale, making the atmosphere's already peaceful mood become even more restful. It made Amy smile, and the fact that she was with her two friends made her feel even better. No, that wasn't the right way to describe it, but at the moment Amy didn't care. She was simply enjoying their presence, and that was all that mattered. Of course, her mind was still racing at the moment.<p>

Amy couldn't help but stare at Shadow as the three of them walked to the local burger joint. Throughout their journey, Amy had learned more about Shadow than she had ever expected. She never in her wildest daydreams would have guessed that Shadow was an avid reader, or that he loved Oreo shakes. Not only that, but she had never expected that Shadow the Hedgehog was a dancer. Just the thought made her giggle to herself.

Shadow looked down at her as she laughed to herself, raising an eyebrow in the process. "What's so funny?"

Amy chuckled one last time before she looked up at him. "Oh nothing. I'm just thinking of ways I can blackmail you in the future."

"Blackmail Shadow?" Maria asked, her ears perking up as she spoke.

Amy nodded, "Yep! I have some information that could forever ruin his tough guy image!" She exclaimed, resulting in the black hedgehog rolling his eyes. "I plan to use it in case I ever need any money."

Maria giggled, "Sounds like a plan!" She exclaimed.

"It is a plan, and a marvelous plan at that." Amy explained, sounding very smug. Yes, all was according to plan, and a semi-evil laugh was forming in the back of her throat. Of course, if she let it loose, she was going to receive some odd looks. Perhaps instead she could—

"So Amy, I'm curious of something." Maria spoke, making Amy look back to the yellow hedgehog. "Just because most teenage girls read them… have you read the Twilight books?"

Amy shook her head, a little thrown off from the off topic question. "Nope. I tried reading them, but I got bored." Suddenly, a memory returned to her. Another form of blackmail soon made Amy smile maliciously. "But I do know someone who has…" she slowly turned to Shadow, his expression slightly nervous. "Shadow, why do you have the Twilight books?"

Maria giggled as Shadow's face turned red. "I don't—I wasn't—"

"I saw them Shadow! Heck, I was trying to get through the first few chapters of it!" Amy exclaimed, the smile on her face gradually growing larger. "Why do you have those books?"

Shadow growled, "I was holding them for a friend."

Amy chuckled, "What friend?" She asked, "And don't say Rouge, cause I know she doesn't like those books!"

The hedgehog opened his mouth, but soon closed it again. After a few seconds, he tried to speak yet again. "So—"

"Don't say Sonic! He doesn't like those kind of books!" Shadow's face turned red again, resulting in Amy laughing. "Oh my gosh, you like those books Shadow! I can't believe it!"

Shadow growled, but Maria put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Shadow, it's cool! It's okay for a guy to like those books!" Maria explained as they drew nearer to the shop with each second. "I just have one question."

"What?" Shadow asked.

"Team Edward or Team Jacob?"

"Team Edward, but—OH!" Now the girls were in hysterics, laughing so hard that their sides hurt. "Gosh darn it you little—you little—"

"You little what, Shadow?" Amy asked in-between the giggles.

"Don't worry Amy; he can't do anything to us. If we get him mad, the worst he'll do is throw glitter in our eye." Maria told her, resulting in their laughter becoming even harder. Shadow gritted his teeth, his cheeks almost as red as the stripes on his body.

Amy stood up, trying to hold her laughter back. "Is a huge fan of the Twilight series; is Team Edward."

"Okay, now you're going to get it!" Shadow exclaimed with a mischievous smile, resulting in the two girls squealing. Without another word, they ran off, their pursuer following close behind. They were laughing and yelping as they dashed off, and when Amy nearly fell over, she screeched. That only made them laugh harder, and when they ran into the burger joint, they were out of breath.

Amy ran in first since she was the boy's target, and she couldn't help but laugh as she dashed through the door. Although it was all in good fun, it was a little scary to run from Shadow. Sometimes, it was hard to tell when he was joking or not. Despite that, she continued forward towards the girl's bathroom in an attempt to escape him. Just as she was about to touch the door, an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. She laughed and yelped, crying out, "Okay, I surrender! You win!"

Shadow put her back down, smiling as he did. "Good! Now I must torture you for your deeds."

"Darn. I was so looking forward to blackmailing you." Amy told him, making him grin yet again. There was nothing she loved more than seeing him smile…

"Wow, you guys are crazy!" Maria told them as she walked over, the smile present on her face as well. "Playing tag with you would be scary."

Shadow nodded, but before he could say anything, a voice came from behind them. "Hey, there's no rough housing in here! If you want to play, you're going to have to take it outside!" The three turned, and when they did, Maria's smile widened.

"Shaun!" She exclaimed, dashing forward to hug him.

"Maria, you didn't tell me you were coming today! I would have made myself at least a little presentable." The boy told her.

She waved her hand at the air, "As long as I get to see you, I'm happy." Turning to Shadow and Amy again, she nodded. "Shadow, Amy, this is Shaun!"

Before them stood a young sheep, probably in his early twenties, with a full head of white curly hair. He had an athlete's physique and a crooked smile, as well as a pair of bright green eyes. There was a naturally cheerful aura about him, and it made the two hedgehogs' feel rather comfortable. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt, as well as an apron with the title of the burger joint, "Best Burgers" on it. A hat also sat upon his head with the logo of the shop, as well as its edible burger mascot.

Shaun smiled, "Nice to meet you!" He turned to Maria. "So, is this that other brother you were talking about?" Maria nodded, "And Amy, his—"

"Best friend ever!" Amy exclaimed, grabbing Shadow's arm excitedly, making the hedgehog's eyes grow wide. She looked up at him, furrowing her brow. "What? I'm not allowed to say that?"

Shadow stared at her for a moment before his smile softened. "No, it's perfectly fine to say that."

"Good, because I have a few more words in that case!" Amy exclaimed as Maria and Shaun led them off to a table. "Amy's best friend that is a guy, is really good friends with Rouge and Omega, likes Oreo shakes, likes reading books, and doesn't like being teased!" Shadow rose his eyebrows after she had finished, making her smile.

"She's right you know." Maria told him as the three of them sat down.

Shadow sighed and nodded, "She is." He responded as he looked back down at her.

Then for some reason, Amy did the most innocent and cute expression she could manage. "Loves Amy's beautiful, wonderful, glittery green eyes." Amy cooed, making Shadow chuckle.

"You are so weird." He told her as he ruffled her hair. Amy giggled and nodded, then turned to Shaun as he pulled out his notepad and pen. "One hundred and seventy-one, by the way."

Shaun smiled down at them as he clicked the pen, "That does bring a question to mind, though. From what I heard, you counted those words in whatever game your playing, right?"

Shadow nodded, "Of course."

Shaun smirked, "Than that means that you really do love her eyes. How sweet." He teased, resulting in both of their faces turning beat red. Maria giggled, and Shaun laughed as well. "Anyways, what do you guys want?"

Maria looked at the two then back at Shaun. "Since it seems like they don't know what to order, I'll have my usual."

Shaun nodded and scribbled some words down, "Got it. And what about you… Amy, right?"

She nodded, "Um… what do you have?"

Shadow took the opportunity to showcase his marvelous abilities, "Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, corndogs, vegetarian burgers, chicken nuggets, chicken meals, fries, vanilla shakes, chocolate shakes, Oreo sh—"

Amy put a hand over Shadow's mouth, "Shameless show-off." She laughed, making Shadow narrow his eyes. She chuckled softly before turning to Shaun. "I'll have a cheeseburger with fries and a shake." Shadow gave her a look as if she had to continue and she rolled her eyes at the goofball. "Okay, a shake with Oreo's in it." The hedgehog smiled in approval.

The sheep took a few more seconds scribbling down the words before he looked up at Shadow, "And what about you?"

"I'll have a double cheeseburger with fries and an Oreo shake, please." Amy narrowed her eyes just as Shadow had, and he shrugged. "I didn't copy you, I thought of it in the first place." He told her, folding his arms as he closed his eyes.

Amy shook her head, and the sheep nodded. "All righty, I'll have your food in a few minutes. Hand tight until then!" He flashed a grin towards Maria before walking off, making Maria smile in response.

As soon as he was out of ear-shot, Amy turned to Maria. "Oh, he's a cutie! And so nice too!"

Maria's eyes lit up, "I know! He's such a sweetheart! Like on Valentine's Day last year, we spent the entire day—"

"You girls and your little romantic fantasies," Shadow interrupted, making both of the girls turn to him. "Must you always be so caught up in them?"

Maria folded her arms, but Amy smirked. "Said the Twilight fan to the two girls."

Shadow opened his eyes, a strained expression of frustration coming onto his face. "I'll get you."

Amy laughed, "You love me anyways." She told him as he rolled his eyes. Humming, she looked up at him again. "Has a photographic memory and is very fun to tease."

Shadow smirked. "You mention teasing and reading a lot. It is obvious that you really want that cookie."

"You better believe I do." Amy told him.

Maria folded her arms and sighed, "I am so out of the circle. I have no idea what either of you are talking about."

Shadow smiled and patted his sister on the back. "That's okay, you'll catch on eventually."

Maria shrugged, "Maybe I will. Who knows? You were always a weird one, Shadow."

Amy nodded, "I second that. For all we know, he could have other secret obsessions that he'd never ever want us to know about. Like…" she pondered for a moment before a random character popped into her mind. "Sailor Mars!" It didn't even take a second for Maria's mouth to open wide in a smiley gap. Shadow's eyes grew wide, and Amy felt a level of surprise fill her. "Don't tell me…" Amy's smile turned into a devilish grin and Shadow's cheeks turned red. "I was spot on?"

The answer was the laughter that followed, and the fact that Shadow was covering his eyes and shaking his head. It lasted for a minute or two before they regained their composure and nodded. Amy took in a deep breath and nodded. "Shadow, that is too funny."

He folded his arms, "I didn't think it was funny." Shadow grumbled.

Amy shook her head and shrugged. "You are weird." He looked down at her for a moment before she spoke again, "Is a Sailor Mars fan, can be very dramatic, um…" she paused, her train of thought lost for a moment. "Favorite character on Soul Calibur is Mitsurugi, likes to eat cheeseburgers, and doesn't take no for an answer. Sheesh, this is getting hard."

Smirking, he nodded, "And it's only going to get harder."

She threw a joking glare in his direction and pointed a finger to his face. "Taunts Amy with delicious cookies."

Shadow nodded and sighed, closing his eyes in the process. "You better believe it. Now, when is our food coming?"

Amy shrugged, "I don't know. Hopefully it will be soon."

Maria nodded, "Yep, here he comes now." She told them, her smile small but sweet.

Sure enough, Shaun was walking over, carrying a tray with all of the foods they had ordered. "Here you are," he spoke, handing the food out to their respective owners. "Enjoy!"

"Can do!" Maria exclaimed as she began to unwrap her sandwich. "Thanks Shaun."

"You're welcome." He told her as he sat down next to her, putting his arm around her. Amy smiled at the couple, but Shadow was too interested in his food to care at the moment. Without a word, he began to unwrap his burger, its aroma making his mouth water. Just the thought of its taste made his stomach rumble…

"Pst," Amy whispered, making Shadow look down at her. "Can't tell the future."

Shadow put on an expression of confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Amy shrugged, "I don't know, I just wanted to add some words to my total! Oh, here's some more: always has to have a reason for Amy's strange ways." Shadow just rolled his eyes and continued eating his burger. He smiled though, as he was beginning to realize how true some of her words really were. Especially the one about her eyes.

* * *

><p>Woo-hoo! I finally got a chapter up! I've been getting a lot of school work lately, so it's taken awhile, but I finally did it! :D Oh Shadow, you should expect all this teasing. When you're around Amy and Maria, you are going to be teased. :D<p>

So many inside jokes, huh LordCooler? Pffft. XD

Changed the story to a K+ rating because it's just not T material. And a correction: Tina is a black hedgehog, not red. :)

Now I must say something serious about something I feel very strongly about. Many of you have heard of the SOPA and PIPA bills and what they would have done to the internet, right? Luckily, those were recently shelved after millions of signatures in protest of the bills and other forms of petition. However, another threat is at hand, known as ACTA. If ACTA passes, the internet will never be the same, and we may have to say goodbye to a lot of good sites(including this one). Now is the time to act! Spread the word! Do the research on ACTA! Let's make sure that our voices are heard.


	19. A Water Slide? Sweet!

** Chapter 19: A Water Slide? Sweet!**

The petals of the rose were rather relaxed, and as Amy's fingers brushed against them, they seemed to jump in response. It was odd how the object seemed to breathe and live just as Shadow did. How much energy had it taken to create the glass rose? How did it survive after its creation? Sighing, she turned the object in her hand as she lay on the couch; Shadow himself sitting on the floor beside it. At the moment, everyone else was finishing lunch. Amy had no idea why she had been able to eat so fast, but Shadow's speed had not surprised her. He was one of the fastest things alive… of course, if she would have said that out loud, he would have corrected her. He was faster than Sonic—or so he said. Secretly, she truly did wonder who was faster; Shadow or Sonic.

She sighed as she held the rose up, examining it carefully in the light. The rose was a physical manifestation of his emotions—his heart—which meant that if he was happy, the rose would perk up. That also meant that if she bothered him enough, the rose would reflect his annoyance. With that thought in mind, Amy smiled evilly. Bothering Shadow had become one of her favorite pastimes.

Without another thought, the pink hedgehog began to poke his ear. As she had expected, it twitched slightly when it was touched, making her chuckle to herself. Yes, her plan was going to work! Amy chuckled to herself once more before poking his ear yet again. This was going to be fun. Hopefully, he was soon going to show his irritation. That was when things got to be the most interesting. It wasn't going to be much longer…

Sure enough, Shadow soon became irritated. The rose's thorns were usually not prevalent but at the moment, it was more than obvious that they were there. As she continued to bother the hedgehog, the thorns grew in size. Finally after a few more seconds, Shadow turned to Amy. If it wasn't for the rose, she wouldn't have known that he was annoyed. He sighed, "Are you quite finished?"

She paused to contemplate his question with the deepest and most profound thoughts possible before poking his ear one more time. "Now I am."

His eyebrows rose, "That appears to have been a very hard decision."

"Yes Shadow, let me tell you. It was harder than deciding whether to have my food at the restaurant, or having it to go." She sighed, a light smile on her face as she lay back on the couch yet again.

He hummed for a moment before he turned back. "That really does appear to be a hard choice. The only question is if a friend's opinion would sway your own in that situation."

Amy closed her eyes, letting out a quiet "ha." She shook her head, "You do realize I was joking, right?"

"Obviously." Shadow told her, "Of course, if the option of becoming puzzled in that situation actually occurs, preparation is actually quite a good idea, right? Revolutionary, if not anything else."

"Revolutionary?" Amy asked, opening her eyes again. "Shadow, you are just too weird."

He shrugged. "I'm just saying. If I were you in that situation, I would have the food to go. As much as I love a bunch of screaming kids fighting over colorful pieces of plastic, I prefer to have my food in a more familiar setting."

Amy rolled onto her stomach so she had a better view of him. "Shadow, do you look at everything through sophisticated eyes?"

He turned to her, "May I inquire of you what that means?"

She paused to reflect on how she had worded the question. Ah yes, it had been oddly phrased. Shrugging, she looked up. "Don't ask me." She paused, "Acts very sophisticated with goofy things."

Shadow narrowed his eyes at her. "You're enjoying this a little too much."

"I'm enjoying this just enough." She smiled, pausing to look up at the two hedgehogs who had walked in; Johnny and Ralph. "Besides, you should have realized by now how easily entertained I am."

Shadow simply folded his arms, and just because she felt like it, Amy folded hers. He raised his eyebrows. "So now you're copying me?"

Amy nodded, "Yes. I guess you could call me the faker now."

The ebony hedgehog raised an eyebrow as he turned to the girl. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really!" she exclaimed, a triumphant grin on her face. "Or I could call you one instead." Shadow merely shook his head and chuckled. "Alright than, you are a faker, Shadow."

He sighed, "I can't even tell you how weird you are. That's the sad part."

Amy simply hummed, "Likes to call other hedgehogs fakers. Except for Amy."

"I only call a hedgehog a faker when I am obviously superior to them." Shadow explained.

The girl pondered his words, "So can you still call Sonic a faker? You know, since you've trained him and all."

He hummed, "I don't think so. In fact, I actually get along with Sonic quite well, nowadays. As shocking as it sounds, he's a good friend."

Amy was honestly, quite surprised. She smiled nonetheless, despite having heard the information several times before. "Is actually friends with Sonic the Hedgehog, despite calling him faker for such a long time." Shadow turned around and looked at her. Although his smile was small and reserved, it made Amy smile back. There was something about seeing him grin that just made Amy happy. Just as she was about to say something else, Maria walked in, wearing a very brightly colored swimming suit.

The one-piece, when closely examined, revealed to be a dark brown covered in large pink and orange flowers. Patches of green also accompanied the flowers, and a short swimming skirt completed the look. Amy smiled and clapped her hands together, "Maria, that is so cute!"

Smiling, Maria nodded, "Thanks! I have one for you if you're nearly ready to go." Amy paused. Wait, what? "Oh right, nobody told you guys! We're going swimming today!"

With his arms still folded, Shadow asked, "Isn't it still a little cold for swimming?"

Maria shook her head, "Obviously not! Besides, even if it is too cold, there is an indoor pool." Amy paused to look at Shadow. He simply shrugged, and Amy sighed. Shadow sure was full of ideas. Without another thought, Amy sat up and got off the couch.

"Alrighty, where's that swimming suit you were telling me about?"

Maria smiled, "Come on!" she exclaimed, leading Amy off. The pink hedgehog turned to Shadow, who simply shrugged at her yet again. How original he was, in using the same gesture over and over again. She was going to have to tackle him for that…

* * *

><p>Several minutes had passed since Amy and Maria had disappeared, and a level of irritation was filling the black hedgehog. How long did it take for one girl to get dressed in a swimming suit? Apparently, at least half an hour. The hedgehog folded his arms for the billionth time, sighing as he looked around. The family was going swimming because on the next day, most of his siblings were leaving again. Johnny, Isabel, and Lucy were going to leave early in the morning, and Ralph and Dennie were leaving in the afternoon. What was it going to be like when everyone was gone?<p>

He sighed and shook his head as he sat down next to Ralph. He had become accustomed to the companionship of his family members, and the idea of them leaving was a rather odd one. In an odd way, it was surreal. Silently, Shadow turned to his younger brother. Ralph was red like his mother, but he had his father's piercing blue eyes. It made Shadow's mind wander, but before anything could be said, the girls finally returned.

Maria was still in her tropical themed swimming suit, but it was also notable that Amy was wearing one as well. Unlike Maria's, Amy's was less vibrant in color, but what it lacked in popping oranges it made up in subtle blues. The swimming suit was a one piece decorated in tiny blue dots that made one's eyes race across the suit. Its neckline was in the shape of a 'v' that reached down to a ribbon, which wrapped neatly around the entire ensemble. To put it simply, the suit complemented her figure and made her look good. With that thought in mind, Shadow nodded to himself and smiled.

As if she had read his mind, Amy twirled around. "What do you think, Shadow?"

He smirked, "I like it."

She smiled. "Good!" Amy turned to Maria, "So, do you have any hair-holders I can borrow?"

"Of course I do!" The girl exclaimed as she led Amy off down the hall. "Do you want your hair in a low ponytail, or a high ponytail?"

Shadow listened quietly for a moment before he stood up. He glanced at Ralph and Johnny, but paused immediately as he met their gazes. Something more evil than mischief was on their faces. Almost afraid to ask, Shadow spoke, "What?"

Johnny chuckled, "Someone has crush on a certain pink hedgehog."

"We already established this." Shadow sighed, folding his arms.

"Ah ha!" Ralph exclaimed, pointing his finger at his older brother. "So you admit!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Now Ralph, the point isn't to simply state the obvious," Johnny spoke, "But to embarrass him. The only question is of how."

Shadow chuckled, "You're not going to be able to do that."

Ralph hummed, "All in good time, brother. All in good time…"

Rolling his eyes, the ultimate life form shook his head. He had never expected having siblings to be so enjoyable. The hedgehog sure had missed out on a lot of simple pleasures in life. Of course, he was lucky enough to enjoy them _at all_. Smiling at the thought, Shadow unfolded his arms. "You people are strange."

"And that is a fact!" Ralph exclaimed as the two girls returned once again, this time their hair in high ponytails.

"What's a fact?" Maria asked, holding a beach towel in one hand as she looked at the red hedgehog.

"That Ralph is considered, in all areas of life, an odd duck that will never change his ways." Shadow explained, receiving a few odd glances in the process. He paused and looked around. "What?"

It was Amy who walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "You, my friend, are the odd duck."

Shadow smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is this because I explain things in such a sophisticated manner?" Amy simply nodded. "In that case, how about I analyze the satirical strategies—such as incongruity—from Jonathan Swift's article, A Modest Proposal?"

Amy froze in her place and swallowed. "Huh?"

Johnny nodded, "Isn't that the article about people eating kids?"

"Yes, that is exactly the article." Shadow told him, resulting in Amy take her hand off Shadow's shoulder.

She shivered, "You guys are too weird. I'm leaving before your odd duck nature rubs off on me!" Amy explained before walking off. "Farewell!"

Shadow chuckled, "So now we're going to call everyone odd ducks?"

Amy turned back, her hands on her hips. "Why yes, we are!" She paused to examine his expression before smiling. "Is a very odd duck, likes to analyze stuff just to confuse others, enjoys reading really weird stuff, folds his arms a lot, and thinks that he is just the coolest thing out there no matter what." Humming to herself, she looked up at the ceiling. "How many is that so far?"

The hedgehog paused to count everything, "Two hundred and eighty seven."

Amy nodded, "Good! Not too bad so far, huh?" Shadow merely nodded at her, a reserved smile on his lips. Her enthusiasm was always quite entertaining…

* * *

><p>The weather was much warmer than Shadow had expected it to be, and when he finally got to the pool, he felt a sense of surprise when he remembered that it was only May. How hot was in Nightendale in June? What about July? Just the thought made Shadow want to dive into the water. Of course, the hedgehog was nowhere near "raging inferno," so at the moment, he was okay with walking to the spot where they were going to put their stuff. Until then, he had enough patience to wait until the right moment to rush to the cool waters of the pool. Plus, he had no intention to lose his sunglasses.<p>

With his sunglasses on and his beach towel slung over his shoulder, Shadow successfully acquired the look of the "cool guy," and as such, he received many stares. Of course, the hedgehog didn't pay much attention to his admirers. The hedgehog was there to enjoy the time with his family and friends. Despite this, many still pointed and stared at the black and red hedgehog. Was that Shadow the Hedgehog, going _swimming? _In itself, the idea seemed ludicrous.

The pool was one of the main attractions of Nightendale, as it had been around for many years and had become "the place" to hang out. It was made up of several structures, such as the indoor pool, the main outdoor pool, and the outdoor pool for children—which included a watery playground. The main outdoor pool was a huge rectangle filled with crystal clear water that sent eye-catching reflections everywhere. It was accompanied with a curved slide that emptied into the deepest end of the pool, which was constantly being ridden by the swimmers.

After finding the right spot, Shadow placed his towel down. He was wearing a black jammer swimming suit, and he was still wearing his four inhibitor rings. Wait, his three inhibitor rings and Amy's bracelet. Shadow had forgotten that he was wearing one of her bracelets… Humming, Shadow examined it carefully. It was almost identical to his except for the fact that it was bulkier. What had she said about it? As long as he had it on, she was always going to be able to find him. Right?

"Hey you!" Shadow turned to the girl that the bracelet belonged to, smiling as she motioned at him towards the pool. "Come on! I'm waiting!" He rolled his eyes when she started making large gestures towards the water, moving her arms in big swinging motions. She sure did know how to catch his attention.

Shadow pulled his sunglasses off, placing them carefully on his towel, then looked at Amy. She was still doing the same movements, making him chuckle to himself. What an oddball she was sometimes. Smiling, Shadow began to walk over as slow as possible. His goal was to annoy her, and luckily, he was soon successful. She growled and rushed over to him, then began to drag him to the edge of the pool. Of course, he wasn't going to let her win _that _easily.

The ultimate life form pushed her softly, "Whoops!" he exclaimed as Amy fell into the water, shrieking in the process. He laughed when she popped back onto the surface, now totally soaked.

"You little thing! I'm going to get you!" She exclaimed, making Shadow chuckle as he knelt down.

"So I'm a little thing now?" Shadow asked.

"Yes, and as such, I shall get my revenge!" Amy told him, "And I will do it like this!" The pink hedgehog told him, throwing her arms up in the process. Water from the motion was thrown into his face, and although he had been expecting it, he still fell back as he yelped. He sputtered for a second before he stood up. "All's fair in love and war!" Amy explained, folding her arms.

"Really?" Shadow asked, as he sat up. "In that case…" The hedgehog smiled mischievously, then without another word, shot up out of his spot. One moment he was by the pool, and the next second, he was suspended in the air above it. It happened so fast that all Amy could do was watch. Of course, when what was going on finally registered in her mind, she shrieked as loud as she could.

She did her best to shield herself from the water, but to no avail. Once again, the girl was soaked. When Shadow popped up onto the surface, his smile was wide, especially when he saw Amy's expression. He had the feeling that she was going to get him for that…

She folded her arms. "Enjoys splashing others just to make them mad."

Shadow chuckled, "You better believe it, missy!" He exclaimed, ruffling her bangs in the process. Amy giggled and shook her head.

"Sometimes Shadow, you're just too odd." Amy paused to watch Shadow's family place their items on several chairs and tables. "Would it have been a good idea to wait for them?"

Shadow shrugged, "I think it's okay. Most of them have someone to talk to, right?"

Amy nodded, "Yep."

"In that case, let's swim. I'm in the mood to move around…" Shadow trailed off as he turned toward the deep end of the pool.

"Can do! Oh, doesn't like to stay in one place for too long; likes to be on the move." Amy stated as she followed Shadow. "You know, that's one thing that you and Sonic have in common. You guys like to keep moving."

Shadow raised an eyebrow as he fought his way through the water, "That's true. But why do you keep mentioning Sonic all the time?"

Amy paused to think. What was she to say? She had known—and been obsessed with—Sonic for years. Did he really have to ask why she always talked about him? She shook her head and sighed. Perhaps Shadow didn't understand what it was like for Amy to try and get over him. Amy had done her best to push him out of her mind and heart and she had done a good job, but every once in awhile, he found his way back into the conversation. Sighing, Amy shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's just hard forgetting about him."

Shadow hummed, "I'd imagine…" he whispered. "What do you think of him now, anyway?"

She hummed and bit her lip. "He's a good friend and a true hero. He…" At that moment, Amy realized something. Any other words she had ever used to describe Sonic no longer applied. Had she ever really even known Sonic that well? Amy shook her head. It was time to switch topics. Instead of focusing on the old hedgehog, she was going to pay attention to the new one! "Is a very curious hedgehog, and is often reckless on missions and gets hurt!"

Shadow rolled his eyes, "That was one time."

"One time is too many!" Amy exclaimed. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to swim away. Feel free to watch!" Shadow simply stood there for a moment and watched her. She sure did switch topics quickly…

Sighing, the hedgehog shrugged and followed after her. She was able to hold the lead for a few seconds, but Shadow quickly caught up. When she looked at him, she raised an eyebrow. "Speedy even in the water; a very fast swimmer."

Shadow smirked and nodded, then looked around. The two were treading water at the moment, and Shadow's family was only just starting to enter the water. Smiling, Shadow looked at Amy once again. "So, what do you want to do?"

Amy looked around and smiled when her gaze settled upon the water slide. She turned back to Shadow and chuckled, "Need you even ask?"

Rolling his eyes, Shadow shrugged. "I guess not."

The girl let out a triumphant "ha," and sped up. "Can't read Amy's mind or guess what she likes doing, despite knowing her so well."

Shadow swam faster so he could keep up with Amy. "Well since you're a girl, that automatically complicates things."

"Ah, so being a girl makes us harder to understand?"

"It is a fact of nature my friend. Take Rouge for example," Shadow told her as he reached the wall. "I've known her for years, but I still don't understand her in the slightest."

Amy grabbed onto the ladder when Shadow moved off to the side to let her pass. "Well that makes sense. Rouge is a complicated girl. Me on the other hand… well, as long as you're nice to me and you listen to what I say, I'm happy!"

Shadow climbed up the ladder, "So if I comply your every order."

"That's not quite how I'd word it, but you know what, I'll take it if you insist on it!" Amy exclaimed as Shadow pulled himself onto the wall. He folded his arms and stared at her with a smirk for a moment before she pointed toward the slide. "Forward slave!" The ultimate life form raised his eyebrows and shrugged, but followed her without complaining.

The line for the slide was five people long, but luckily, the line moved rather quickly. By the time they actually got in their spot, one of the five had gone down the slide—yelping the entire way. It made Shadow smirk to himself. Of course when Amy saw it, she smiled as well. "Laughs at other peoples pain as long as it's not serious."

Shadow shrugged, "I'm pretty sure that you'd do the same."

"Actually, I'm considerate of other people, thank you very much." She told him.

"So that would explain why you splashed me?"

"Of course it does!" Amy told him, "Through some complex explanation that I'm too lazy to actually do, my splashing helped boost your self confidence."

"Right…" Shadow chuckled, "And how does that work?"

Amy shrugged, "Didn't I just tell you that I'm not going to explain? Not the greatest listener around…" She said in half serious, half joking tone.

"Perhaps that is true." Shadow sighed, "But I'm good at noticing things. For example; I have noticed that the line has moved and you have not budged an inch."

The girl looked back at the line and took a step back. "I did too move. See?" The hedgehog just rolled his eyes. "I'm going to have to strangle you for rolling your eyes. You know that, right?"

"Feel free." Shadow told her, smiling ever so softly.

"I would, but it appears to be my turn." Amy told him as she turned around. "So I shall attack you soon." Amy explained as she walked up the ladder.

"Sounds like a plan."

Amy nodded at Shadow quickly before she turned around and sat down. To her surprise, the water pressure from the top of the slide made her fly down the slide so fast that she yelped. Ah, so that's why that girl had screamed earlier! Before she could fit another screech in, Amy landed in the water. She was submerged for a few seconds, holding the delicate oxygen in her lungs as she swam. After a few more moments, she broke through the surface, whipping her head around to get her hair out of her face. When she did, she looked up at Shadow. "Your turn!"

Shadow nodded and without another word, shot up the ladder. He sat down on the slide, and unlike Amy, he did not yelp or screech when he descended on the slide. Instead, he slid—almost gracefully—into the water, resulting in a splash that had been a lot smaller than Amy's. She paused for a second to look around in an attempt to find him, but when she received an underwater "jumper cables," she ended her search and shouted out in surprise.

When Shadow popped back up, he was laughing at her. Amy gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes in the process. "Enjoys freaking Amy out, is a very sneaky guy, likes going down water slide, does not know when to quit, has an amazing lung capacity, and can be a big fat meanie."

"A meanie, hm? I wasn't aware that we were using kindergarten terms." Shadow teased.

"Okay, now you're going to get it!" Amy exclaimed as she lunged at him.

"If you can catch me!" Shadow exclaimed as he flew off, leaving a laughing pink hedgehog to follow him in hot pursuit. The only question was of whom was to win…

* * *

><p>The orange toddler laughed once again as she splashed the pink hedgehog. "Amy fall down, Amy fall down!" She exclaimed, making the teenager laugh in response. Just to please her, Amy followed her demand.<p>

"Oh no, I'm falling! Look out, ahhhh!" And Amy sat back, landing promptly in the shallow water. The toddler was attacked with a fit of giggles, making Amy laugh as well. She had agreed to taking a turn to watch after Lucy, so at the moment, she was enjoying time with the little cutie.

Amy sat back up, smiling as the toddler waddled over. "Down!" She exclaimed, pushing her as hard as she possibly could.

"Oh no! Ahhh!" Amy yelped as she fell back, resulting in Lucy going crazy with laugher once again. Amy also found herself laughing, and when she sat up, she couldn't help but smile. Lucy was such a sweet heart! She was so fun to play with…

When she heard the swishing of water from behind her, Amy glanced back to see Rita, smiling her usual casual grin. "I'll take over if you want to go swim again."

"Thanks!" Amy exclaimed as she sat up. She looked down at Lucy, "Thank you for letting me play with you, Lucy!"

Lucy grasped onto Amy's leg, "I wuv you Amy! Thank you!"

Amy smiled, "You are welcome!"

Lucy smiled her irresistible grin, "Can I caw you Aunt Amy?"

Although she instantly knew why she had asked, she inquired of the toddler anyways. "Why?"

Instead of answering, the toddler just giggled and ran off to her grandmother. Amy paused to watch her and contemplate on what she had said. Aunt Amy? Once again, the idea of marriage popped into her mind. At that moment, her cheeks burned red and she slapped her hands against her face. Oh, why in the world was she thinking about _that_ of all things? Shaking her head, Amy looked at the hedgehog. She had to admit that she liked him, but for him to reciprocate her feelings? The idea was ludicrous! Wasn't it?

Sighing, Amy started walking toward him. She had a crush on him, but she had no idea how Shadow felt about her. Perhaps asking Maria was a good idea. She knew him better than almost anyone, so would she be able to place his feelings? Amy nodded at the thought, and then turned back to Shadow. Suddenly, she remembered something. She still needed to tackle Shadow, and since he was right by the edge of the pool, there wasn't a better time.

With an evil smile, Amy quietly tip-toed toward Shadow. He was watching Ralph, Johnny, and Henry race against each other, and he was playing the part of the official. Hopefully, his distraction would keep him in place long enough for her to accomplish her goal. The girl held her breath in the back of throat, doing her best not to make any unnecessary noises. When she found herself only a few more feet away, her grinned widened.

The three hedgehogs in the pool had finished their race, and as Shadow was laughing at their performance, there wasn't a better chance. Amy bit her lip as she watched for a second, then readied herself. Grinning, she took in a quick, sharp breath and charged at him. And as if the image in her mind wasn't already good enough, Shadow turned at that very moment. His eyes widened, but before anything could be done, Amy crashed into him.

He let out a loud, "OOF!" when he was hit, and within seconds, the two were in the water. For a moment, they stay suspended under water, listening to the sounds of the liquid rushing past their ears. Then, they pumped their arms, hurling the two to the surface. Amy broke through first and was quickly followed by Shadow.

As expected, Shadow narrowed his eyes when he looked at her. "Was that revenge for pushing you in earlier?"

Amy batted her eyelashes, "And if it was?" She asked in her sweetest, most innocent voice possible.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I'll get you for that."

"I'm sure you will, Shadow." Amy laughed, smiling as he motioned her to follow him to the slide again. The girl complied, doing her best to keep up with him. She was never going to tell him, but teasing him was her favorite way to flirt with him.

* * *

><p>Woo hoo! Finally got it done ! :D Well, I had fun with this one. Although it took forever... ^^<p>

Anyways, I hope you guys liked it! Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter out faster!


	20. Fry Sauce and Secrets

** Chapter 20: Fry Sauce and Secrets**

To be honest, Amy was nervous. She knew deep inside that there was no reason to be, but being who she was—a teenage girl—her mind decided to run a series of worst case scenarios. What if Maria secretly hated her? What if she abhorred the very thought of seeing her even round the corner? It was silly, especially since she knew firsthand how kind Maria was. It wasn't the first time she had been worried about someone not being happy to see her, but given the circumstances with _that_ time; her fears had made some sense. In most cases, if someone beat another girl's boyfriend over the head with a hammer, that girl would have been mad. Sighing, Amy shook her head. If Sally hadn't hated her for what she had done to Sonic, why would Maria dislike her? She had never done anything to Maria, much less to Shaun. Sighing one final time, Amy sat up out the chair.

Endless questions and thoughts had been plaguing Amy's mind since the night before. Before Ralph and Dennie had left, Amy had watched a very cute moment with the two. The two had left for a date several hours before, and after a long time of walking in the park together, Ralph had finally popped the question. When they returned, the happy couple announced their engagement, and excitement had filled the air. A short celebration of ice cream was put in order, and after they had finished, they left. The scene had left Amy squealing for joy. If there was one thing that she appreciated as the girl she was, it was happy endings, and what happier ending was there for someone than being married to their true love? In all honesty, she couldn't think of another one.

Although it wasn't marriage that was eating at her mind at the moment, silly images were popping into her imagination every so often. There was no denying that she liked Shadow at that point because others had noticed it to; specifically Henry and Rita. They raised their eyebrows when she complimented him, they laughed along with her when she teased him, and they even questioned her once in awhile. It was rather embarrassing for them to catch on so easily, but since she trusted them, she decided that she was going to be better off if she told them the truth. When she had admitted it, the two had nodded in approval (and so they could embarrass her even further).

The only question that she had was of what Shadow thought of her. She knew that they were friends and that they got along, but in all reality, that was the greatest extent of her knowledge on the subject. Any other thoughts he had of her were a complete mystery. Did he get irritated around her, or did he look forward to every moment he was able to spend with her? Growling, Amy shook her head. If she kept on thinking so hard, she was going to give herself a headache.

After a long time of debating, Amy had concluded that the best way to figure out what Shadow thought was by asking the person who knew him best. Years of separation hadn't dulled her skills on identifying Shadow's thoughts, and as such, there wasn't a better option. Although there was the alternate route of figuring it out by using the glass rose, Amy was sure that Shadow would be able to catch onto her plan rather quickly with that tactic.

With that final thought in mind, Amy nodded. Although she wasn't sure of how it was going to turn out, she felt certain that eventually, she was going to figure out what he was thinking. It was just going to take some time, as well as the use of any detective skills she had. Of course, she didn't really have any to begin with… "Hey," Amy nearly jumped three feet in the air when a voice ripped through the middle of her thoughts. "why are you up so early?"

Amy turned to see the yellow hedgehog rounding the corner, a smile on her face. The younger girl smiled, "Couldn't sleep." Although in all seriousness, it wasn't too early. The sun had risen and many citizens had already been on their way to work or to school. In fact, Tina had already left for school, and Henry had gone off to work. To put it simply, the yellow and black hedgehogs just liked to sleep in.

"Really?" Maria questioned, walking over to the counter in the process. "Why is that?"

Amy shrugged, "Stomach ache," Which was partly true. When Amy worried too much about certain things, she sometimes had physical reactions from it. Stomach aches were the most common.

"Do you need a Tums or something?" Maria asked as she gathered materials for a bowl of cereal.

"No, I'm fine now." That much wasn't true. Her queasiness had stayed at a constant level since she had arisen from her sleep, and at the moment, she was close to throwing up. With that thought in mind, Amy questioned why she didn't want to take one. After a second of thinking it over, Amy nodded. "Actually, I would like a few, please."

Maria smiled and turned to the cabinet and reached up toward the tiny door, making Amy smile to herself. She had to stand on her tip-toes in order to even reach the thing. After a few attempts at trying to open the door, Maria finally reached the knob and threw the door open, then jumped up to grab the bottle closest to the edge. She examined it for a moment before tossing the bottle to Amy. "Here you go."

Amy grabbed it silently, twisted the lid off, then shook two of the tiny tablets into her palm. Without another word, she tossed them into her mouth and chewed, turning to Maria in the process. To Amy's surprise, Maria was staring at her. She was almost afraid to ask, but she did anyway. "What?" Amy asked as she turned the lid.

Maria hummed as she folded her arms. "Why do you guys always wear gloves?"

Oh. That hadn't been that odd of a question. Amy looked down at her hands, "You know what? I really don't know. Now that I think about it, it's kind of weird always wearing gloves."

"I'd say." Maria sighed, looking around the kitchen. There was a moment of an almost-awkward silence before the girl spoke yet again. "So, do you want to get something to eat?"

The thought of food made Amy's eyes light up, making Maria smile. "What is there to eat?"

"We have a lot of stuff. Why don't you come check it out yourself?" Amy nodded as she made her way over to the pantry, ready to hunt for a decent meal. She spent a minute or two examining the various cereals and brands of oatmeal before choosing a rather eye-catching brand of cereal. She poured herself a generous serving, as well as an acceptable amount of milk, then grabbed herself a spoon. It was a feast fit for a teenager, to say the least.

Amy sat down across from Maria, examining her cereal in the process. Hers was so… normal. Did she like that kind of cereal, or did she not have the stomach to handle sugary grains in the morning? Shrugging, Amy continued to shovel large spoonfuls of the food into her mouth. Why was she analyzing Maria's cereal? Sheesh, she needed to get some sleep…

"So," Amy looked at Maria once again, "what are you guys planning to do today?"

The girl put a hand up as she finished chewing and swallowing the mouthful, then spoke. "You're referring to Shadow, right?"

Maria nodded, "I'm not quite sure who else I can talk about. Unless you have some imaginary friend that I'm unaware of, I'd imagine that Shadow's the person you'd like to hang out with."

Amy nodded, staring down at the bowl of cereal once again. It was now or never. "Actually, I was wondering if I could… well, hang out with you." Her confidence waned as she reached the end of her sentence, and as a result, it came out in a mumble.

"Can you say that again? I didn't quite catch that last part."

She swallowed and spoke a little louder, "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. With me today, I mean." Amy told her, making Maria raise her eyebrows.

For a brief moment, Amy thought that the world was going to explode right then and there. What if she said no, or what if she was busy? Oh, the humanity! The very image made Amy want to beat her head on the table. Of course, none of that happened, because Maria smiled at that moment. "Of course I'd like to hang out with you Amy!" Thank goodness! "I just need to get ready, but I'd love to hang out with you. What do you want to do?"

A wave of relief washing over the pink hedgehog, Amy shrugged, "Anything is fine."

Maria smiled and nodded, "Shopping it is."

Amy laughed at her response, and Maria chuckled in return. Just as she was about to open her mouth, another voice took a turn to speak. "Sheesh, don't you guys know how to stay quiet?"

The two girls looked up to see Shadow walking down the stairs, his eyes half-open and his expression on the verge of irritation and curiosity. Raising an eyebrow, Amy folded her arms. "Doesn't like to be awakened from his deep slumber; loves to sleep in forever."

Shadow nodded, sitting down next to the pink hedgehog. "You better believe it, Bob."

"Bob? Since when have I been Bob?" Amy asked smugly.

He shrugged and yawned, "Since forever."

Maria chuckled at his response, and Amy smirked. Ah, so it was a challenge he wanted? "Likes to call Amy Bob." A mischievous smile soon took over her face. "But wait, I'm now curious."

Shadow leaned forward, resting his head on the table. "Of what?" he asked in a half alive tone.

"If I've been Bob forever, than that means that I must be able to live forever. If I live forever, then that must mean I'm an ultimate life form, and if I am an ultimate life form, than I must be old, and if I'm old, I must have jurisdiction over you. That being said, I'm going to order you to not call me Bob." Amy explained, making Shadow chuckle.

"That didn't exactly sound like curiosity." Shadow told her, making Maria laugh.

"I know, I know, but let's set that aside for now, eh? Instead, you will follow my order and no longer call me Bob, okay?" Amy told him.

The hedgehog merely smirked, "If I can't call you Bob, than that means you haven't been Bob forever."

"And?"

Shadow chuckled, "That means that you are no longer an ultimate. Therefore, you negate your order with your own actions."

Wait, what? Oh crap! Crying out in defeat, Amy let her head fall forward onto the table, making Maria laugh. Shadow also chuckled at her action, and Amy growled. "Enjoys confusing Amy in any way possible, especially if that means it makes others laugh."

Shadow nodded, sitting up straight in the process. "And that is a fact." He told them as he stood up and turned to the cabinet.

"Wow Shadow, that was deep." Maria sighed as the hedgehog began to look through the food items in the cupboards.

"Really?" Shadow grabbed a bowl and set in on the counter-top. "How deep?"

"Three feet deep." Maria nodded as Amy sat up straight.

"And double rainbow intense." Amy paused, "Is three feet deep and double rainbow intense." She stated, chuckling nervously at Shadow's expression when she looked at him.

"So you're using a double rainbow to describe me?" Amy simply nodded, "I will have to enact revenge on you sometime today."

Maria laughed, "Not today! I'm going shopping with Amy!"

The hedgehog stopped to stare at her. "You mean shopping at the local strip mall, right?" Maria nodded. "With lots of clothing stores and girly places?" She nodded once again. "Yeah, I'm going to go on a sixty-five mile run." Maria and Amy laughed.

The girls giggled for a few more seconds before Amy hummed. "Any reason that you are so specific in what you're doing?" Shadow shook his head, "Well, then I have a reason! Likes to be specific so he can confuse anyone and everyone!"

Shadow nodded and smirked as he walked over to the pantry and grabbed a box of cereal, "Especially Amy."

"Especially Amy! That seems to be your specialty." Amy told him, narrowing her eyes in the process.

"If you were me, you would see why." Shadow chuckled, making Amy hum to herself once again. Just as she was about to reply with some witty remark, Maria quickly stepped in.

"Hey Amy, I'm going to go get ready, okay? I'll be back down in a few minutes." Amy stared at the girl for a second or two before she nodded. Maria smiled in response, then walked off once again.

As soon as Maria rounded the corner, Amy remembered that Maria had dished up a bowl of cereal for herself. She glanced down at it, but to her surprise, it was already empty. Dang, she sure did know how to eat! Speaking of eating, Amy needed to finish her food. With that thought in mind, Amy sat down and continued to shovel spoonfuls of the sweet food into her mouth. Yummy…

"So, what are you and Maria going to be doing besides shopping?" Shadow asked her after several moments of silence.

She waited to finish her mouthful before speaking. "Just chatting. Why do you ask?" Amy inquired as her eyes met Shadow's bowl of cereal.

"Curious." Shadow told her as he too continued to eat. Amy paused and hummed before taking another bite.

"Tends to be a rather curious person and enjoys eating sugary cereal. Is a pro at making others uncomfortable with his stares and glares." Shadow raised his eyebrows at the last part.

"Rhyming again, are we Amy?"

Amy folded her arms, "Since when have I rhymed, Shadow?" she sighed, "Is a weird-o in all aspects of life and will never learn how to deal with Amy's ways." Rolling his eyes, the hedgehog merely continued eating. For the moment, it was considered a victory to Amy. "Ha! Are you so shocked by my awesomeness that you have been left speechless?" She smiled, "Is amazed by Amy's levels of coolness; can actually be speechless every blue moon."

Shadow merely smiled and rolled his eyes once again, making Amy grin. It sure was a good thing that Shadow was such a good sport. "How many words do I have so far?"

He hummed to himself, placing his spoon down in his cereal so he could count the words on his fingers. Wearing a concentrated expression, the hedgehog quietly calculated the numbers in his head. After a moment or two of thinking, he finally stated, "Five hundred and five."

Amy smiled, "Half way there!" Shadow merely nodded, making Amy's grin widen. "You know, it's pretty cool that you could figure all that in your head." Shadow shrugged, "Is very talented when it comes to math; could probably solve anything if he took the time to do it!"

Shadow smiled softly at her compliment, and Amy grinned in return. If there was one thing that she truly enjoyed about her one thousand words challenge, it was that she had the chance to praise Shadow without him suspecting anything. That in itself was one of the best parts of the whole ordeal.

Footsteps originating from the hallway made Amy turn around. She smiled as Maria entered the room, and the girl couldn't help but smile back. Lately, it seemed as if the joyous grins were spreading like the plague. At the rate that it was scattering across the house, it wasn't going to be long before they were going to be unable to stop smiling. Of course, it wasn't going to bother Amy…

"Almost ready?" Maria asked, taking a moment to stare at the red and black hedgehog.

Shadow only gazed back as Amy nodded. "Yep! I just have a few more bites to go."

"Good." Maria responded in a dead tone, watching Shadow in the process. She stayed silent as she gawked at him, making Shadow glance around.

After a few more seconds of quiet, Shadow finally asked, "What?"

Maria opened her mouth to speak, but instead quickly grabbed a napkin. "Here," she leaned forward toward Shadow and started to wipe his face, "you are a messy eater in the mornings."

"Maria," Shadow exclaimed, swatting her hand away, "I can do that by myself."

Maria growled, "I know you can, but I'm just helping out! Now hold still!"

The ultimate life form continued to try and push her away, and Amy started laughing. "Stop! I'm not a child!"

"Then stop fighting, I'm just trying to help!"

Shadow pulled his face away from her, pushing her back so she was arms length away from him. "Nope. I refuse to accept your assistance." Maria sighed and shook her head, stepping back in defeat.

"Fine." She sighed, "Don't come crying to me when you find yourself unable to clean your face!" Maria told him as she walked off, resulting in Amy following as well.

Shadow smirked at her reply and nodded, "I won't." He stated, smiling as he watched them walk off. "Have fun!" Maria and Amy glanced back and smiled at him, then walked off. Yes, they were going to have fun indeed.

* * *

><p>Her arms folded and a contemplative expression upon her face, Amy hummed, her eyes traveling back and forth between the two outfits. It was one or the other, and the decision was all up to her. One was a cute, spring themed outfit, containing a light blue shirt and khaki colored shorts. The other was a green shirt coupled with a pair of jean shorts. Maria had tried on both outfits and they both had flattered her figure. Unfortunately, in order to remain within her budget, she only had the money to buy one of them, and the yellow hedgehog had given the pink girl the task of deciding which one was to be bought. The problem was, they were both so cute!<p>

Humming one last time, Amy pointed toward the green and jean shorts ensemble, "That one. It's beyond cute!"

Maria smiled, "I rather like this one." She told Amy, picking up the two pieces of clothing. Turning back to Amy, the girl smiled. "To the checkout counter?"

"To the checkout counter!" Amy exclaimed. Grinning at her enthusiasm, Maria nodded and turned. She walked off with Amy following in quick pursuit, a smile still on her face. So far, their shopping day had been very enjoyable, despite having been unable to ask Maria anything. If only she the ability to gather her courage and ask Maria about Shadow.

Although there had been many opportunities to ask or strike up a conversation, Amy had decided to speak about something else. Her favorite movie, favorite singer; anything was better than the possibility of having an awkward conversation. As she was rather fond of Maria and her kindness, the last thing that Amy wanted was to lose that new friendship. With that being said, she was careful in how she spoke and tried her hardest to be on her best behavior. Although she was usually mild mannered around people she hadn't known for too long, she did her very best to be especially quiet and peaceable. So far, it seemed to have worked.

After buying her new outfit, Maria turned to Amy. They had been shopping for several hours at that point, and in some ways, it exhausted Amy. Carrying all the bags, trying on all the clothes, standing around all day… it sure did make a girl tired. That and the added fact of her lack of sleep, Amy was ready to take a nap. Or maybe have a good meal… "Do you want to go get something to eat?" Impeccable timing, Maria had!

Amy nodded excitedly at her suggestion, making Maria laugh. She must have appeared to be some rabid beast or something… ravenous for a meal. Patting Amy on the shoulder, Maria spoke, "Let's head on over to the food-court than." The girl nodded again (this time with more control), then walked forward to lead the way. One could have called her knowledge of finding fast restaurants instinct, the way she found them so easily.

Deciding upon a place to eat was a simple task, as was ordering and gathering their food. The hard part; however, was locating a place to sit. All the tables and chairs had been stormed by teenagers and families of all species and sizes, and as such, they found themselves at a loss of where to assemble. After a few more minutes of walking around and searching, they decided to sit on the strip mall's humble fountain.

As the two began to feast upon their food, the questions and thoughts returned to Amy in full. What did Maria think of her? What did Maria know when it came to Shadow's opinion on her? Her stomach did a flip, and she tried to push the idea aside. A queasy stomach at lunch time was not a good idea, so leaving the mini interview for later was probably a better one. Of course, if Amy left it for later, she was either going to forget or push it away until it was too late. Besides, hadn't their play date been scheduled in an attempt to find some answers?

Sighing, Amy nodded to herself. It was now or never. After popping a fry into her mouth, Amy looked over at Maria. Instantly, she raised her eyebrows. What on Mobius was that? As if she had read her thoughts, Maria turned to her. She was holding a little cup that was filled with a creamy pink mixture. "Want some?"

Amy simply stared at it. "What is it?"

Maria grabbed a fry and dipped it into the substance. "Fry sauce. It's ketchup and mayo mixed. Don't give me that look, it's really good!" Maria laughed, making Amy smile in return.

"If you say so…" Amy sighed, grabbed one of her fries. Reluctantly, she dipped it into the mixture, then pulled it out as if it had been grasped by some horrendous disease. She stared at if for a moment before taking a bite, wondering if the pink stuff was really some kind of poison. Instead, after she tasted it, she raised her eyebrows and nodded. "That's good."

"Told you!" Maria exclaimed, leaving Amy to smile softly. Her light-hearted nature made Maria all the more fun to be around. Not to mention, trustworthy. With that thought in mind, Amy sighed to herself.

"Hey Maria, can I ask you something?" The girl took in a deep breath as Maria set down her fry sauce and picked up her wrapped burger.

Maria nodded, "Sure."

Amy inhaled deeply, gathering all her courage in the process. "What do you think of me?"

She smiled as if she had been expecting the question. "You are a sweet girl with a really big heart! I think you're awesome, Amy."

A few pounds of relief lifted from her shoulders, Amy let her muscles relax. "That's good to know." She put her food down as well, "Another question. What…" Oh, now it was the hard part. "Do you know… what Shadow thinks of me?"

The mischievous grin that soon took over Maria's expression was so malevolent that Amy nearly shrieked. Keeping her composure in control, Amy swallowed. Before she could speak, Maria took the chance. "Ohhh, you like him, don't you!" She exclaimed, excitement over-running her entire body. "I knew it, I just knew it! That's so cute!"

Her cheeks bursting into a red color, Amy's eyes grew wide. "Shh!"

"Amy, Shadow's not here, it's not like he's going to find out!" Maria exclaimed, "Besides, it's not like anyone else here is going to tease you about it. I seriously doubt that anyone here knows you personally, so you don't have to worry!"

Amy sighed, "I know, I know. It's just so silly! Although I shouldn't, I always get embarrassed when I talk about him." Amy told her, grabbing a handful of fries as a level of frustration filled her. "At this rate, it's going to get worse than my obsession with Sonic!" She exclaimed, stuffing the entire handful in her mouth. Maria's eyes widened at the sight, and not knowing what else to do, she laughed. Amy laughed as well, but as her mouth was filled with fries, resulting in the sound coming out in muffled giggles. The result was pieces of fries flying out of her mouth, making the two hedgehogs laugh even harder.

Doing her best to contain her laughter, Maria cleared her voice. "Who's—" she swallowed in an attempt to stomp out her giggles for good, "Sonic? He's that blue hedgehog, right?"

Amy nodded, holding up a finger to tell Maria to wait a moment. She did her best to swallow the mouthful, almost gagging in the process. Eventually she accomplished her goal, and when she did, she spoke, "He's a guy I used to like a lot. And when I mean a lot, I mean I used to follow him around everywhere." Maria raised her eyebrows. She had never seen that side of Amy, so the revelation of her previous pastime obviously surprised her. "Last time I saw him was the first time I had seen him in over a year. For some reason he… didn't remember me. And he got mad at me and pushed me down." Although still a little sore about it, Amy didn't blame Sonic. She _had _hit over the head with her hammer, so there had been some justification in his action. That, and he had insulted Sally. "Course, I was being a jerk anyways, so I kind of deserved it."

Maria hummed, "Well, it still sounds mean."

Amy chuckled, "Maria, do you know why he pushed me over?" She shook her head as she bit into her burger yet again. "I hit him over the head with my Piko Piko hammer, yelled at him, and I insulted his girlfriend."

Her eyes grew wide. "Oh." She whispered, staring down at her burger. "That makes sense. Still isn't very nice, but it makes more sense." Maria sighed. Amy nodded in agreement, and Maria smiled. "But do you want to know something cool? Even if you slapped him across the face, hit over the head with your hammer, insulted his sister and his mom, Shadow wouldn't do that to you."

Amy smiled at the thought, for it was true. He was too much of a gentleman to do that. Or at least, he was too fond of her to ever try something like that. With that thought in mind, Amy spoke again. "Really? That being said, Maria, what does he think of me? Last time I asked you—" Amy froze mid-sentence, as Maria's malicious grin had struck an immeasurable fear in her heart yet again. She narrowed her eyes at Maria, "Don't look at me like that."

"Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?" Maria asked, making Amy giggle.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, picking up a fry, "Back, you weird-o!" Amy ordered, throwing the finger food at Maria. The girl squealed and laughed in response, resulting in Amy laughing as well. By this point in time, the two had earned many stares and glares, but by then, they were having too much fun to care.

Glancing down at the fry on the ground one last time, Maria smiled. "From what I can tell, Shadow is very fond of you. He likes being around you, and he's comfortable around you. He… might…" Maria paused, humming for a moment. The suspense of waiting for Maria to complete her sentence drove Amy into a momentary insanity that quickly ended when Maria opened her mouth again. "Like you. Now don't take my word for it because as well as I know Shadow, I can't read his mind."

Amy couldn't help but smile, but she did her best to contain in. Now she was going to walk around all day with an idiotic, love struck grin on her face. Great. Realizing such, Maria spoke, "Is that the answer you were expecting?"

Amy took in a deep breath, "Yes and no. Course, you can probably tell that I'm happy all the same." She told her. Maria nodded, and Amy glanced down at her burger. "After I finish this, I feel like skipping back to your house in the most obnoxious and loud manner possible. Are you in?"

Maria smiled back, putting her hands on hips in the process. "I would love to. What better way would there be to showcase our awesomeness?"

Amy smiled mischievously, "We could sing Jared Beaver songs as we go."

"Oh, you read my mind." Amy laughed in response, feeling an overwhelming peace envelope her in the process. Having another girl to confide in was extremely comforting in a time when Cream wasn't walking distance away. Of course, given the fact that they were all goofy, Amy wondered how chaotic it would have been if the three of them would have been all there. The image of the three skipping down the street singing Jared Beaver's most popular songs popped into her mind at that moment…

* * *

><p>Humming, Amy stared from her cards, up to Maria once again. Her position was dire. She was losing, and if she wasn't careful, there wasn't going to be a chance to make a comeback. Swallowing, she gazed at them. Her next move could have well been her last. "Do you have any threes?"<p>

The yellow hedgehog—who was wearing a sombrero they have found—smiled triumphantly. "Goeth, fishing."

"Drat." Amy sighed, grabbing a card from the pile.

"Now it be my turn, Amy." Maria gawked at her cards, furrowing her brow as she hummed. "Dost thou have any sevens?"

Nodding, Amy pulled out a few cards and handed them to Maria. With that motion, Maria pulled two cards from her deck and placed them on the ground with the two she had received. The yellow hedgehog let out a triumphant laugh while the pink one sighed, grabbing another article of clothing from the pile they had created. Every time a person made a pack of the respective card, the opposite person had to grab a piece of clothing and put it on. At that point in time, Maria had a sombrero, tennis shoes that were two sizes too big, and a pair of bright pink gloves. Amy was wearing a baseball cap backwards, fancy stilettos, a bright orange skirt over her pants, and a huge plastic ring.

Reluctantly, Amy grabbed a fluorescent green scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Then, she looked down at her cards again. "Any twos?"

"Goeth fishing."

Amy sighed and placed the cards down after grabbing another one, then shook her head. "This just isn't my game today. We need to have something exciting happen."At that moment, the door opened and Shadow walked in, sporting his fancy shades once again. Amy and Maria smiled, "Like that!" Amy exclaimed, shooting up off the floor and toward the ebony hedgehog.

Shadow closed the door behind him before he walked any further. "Did you have fun shopping?" He asked.

"Heck yes we did. Did you enjoy your run?" Amy asked, smiling as he examined their outfits.

He nodded in response, a little perplexed by their lack of coordinating outfits, "Yep."

"That's good." Amy smiled, walking over to the couch once again.

He nodded, and Maria hummed as Amy plopped onto the furniture. "What's with the shades, Shadow? You don't need to wear them inside."

"I know, but…" Looking away, Shadow hummed. "I like wearing them."

"Yeah, but you don't them inside. Take them off so we can make sure you look at us when you talk to us!" Maria ordered, making Amy chuckle as she closed her eyes and laid down.

"You're not my mother, I don't need to listen to you."

"Yeah, but I could go get her and she'll tell you to do the same thing! Take off the sunglasses, Shadow." Maria ordered.

He growled, "Maria I—"

"Off!" She exclaimed. It was silent for a moment before the hedgehog sighed.

"Fine." Silence persisted for just a moment before a loud gasp filled the air. It made Amy shoot up off the couch, her ears perked in surprise.

Maria fumbled over her words. "Shadow, what happened?" Amy rushed over, her eyes growing wide when she saw the black hedgehog. Though it was hard to see with his natural dark color, a purple ring had formed around the hedgehog's left eye. Shadow the Hedgehog had a black eye.

He sighed, obviously embarrassed that someone so ultimate as himself had earned such a bruise. "It's stupid… the lady was stupid." At that point, any worry that Amy had earned for Shadow instantly shriveled into a laugh at the mention of "lady." She covered her mouth in an attempt to stop it from spreading, but it lasted long enough for Shadow to realize she had laughed at him. Although Maria also giggled, it was apparent that Amy's laughter made him angrier than his sister's. He glared at them for just a moment before continuing.

"I was… after I finished my run; I went to this book store and started looking at a book and this…" He had trouble swallowing his pride so he could actually say the word, "girl came up and starting chewing me out. She said that I was an—"

"Wait, was this book about vampires?" Maria quickly asked, resulting in her receiving a very threatening glare. She only giggled, and Shadow continued.

"Embarrassment to society. I tried to tell her to calm down, but before I could do anything, she went on this huge rant on how I was a horrible person. Before I knew it, she had punched me in the face! After that I left." The two girls did their best to keep a straight face as he spoke, "Because my body goes through the healing process so fast, I had a black eye within a few minutes, so I grabbed my sunglasses and put them on. But—" By this point, Amy and Maria had started laughing so hard that they had fallen over, holding their sides because of how bad it hurt. Shadow just gritted his teeth and threw his hands up in the air, "Fine! Feel free to mock me!" and with that, he stomped off.

The two girls tried to stop him, but found that even talking was rather difficult. Who could blame them? The ultimate life form—a hedgehog who could run faster than the speed of sound and had saved the world on several occasions—had been punched in the face by a teenage girl, and he had a black eye as a result of it. It took them three minutes to regain their composure.

* * *

><p>It's April! April, you fools! Just kidding. :) Anyways, I hope you guys had fun this April Fools. Oh, and sorry this took so long. Hopefully, next time's update won't take so long. End of the year studying is rather tedious...<p>

Fry sauce is good, and being a dork is fun. If you've never try, then you've never really lived.

Until next time! Feel free to review! ^^


	21. Act Now and Recieve a Toaster

** Chapter 21: Act Now, and Receive a Toaster**

There was a near silent wind that whipped past Shadow's face as he flew across the landscape, and it sent a level of curiosity into his body. What was it that drove the wind to act as it did? Was there a specific reason as to why it loved racing? Did the wind have any awareness to begin with? To Shadow, it had always felt as if there was someone with him when he was running… as if something beside him was moving with him. Was it, perhaps, just the familiarity of the wind that brought the feeling of traveling with a good friend? Or was there really something that ran along-side him when he moved as fast as he could? Though he didn't know, he couldn't help but wonder.

Of course, at that moment, he wasn't exactly pondering the origins of the universe or anything of the sort. No, he was taking up one of his favorite pastimes and no matter what, he wasn't planning on slowing down. Just like his blue counterpart, running meant everything to him (though he didn't mean to compare himself to Sonic). It was how he calmed himself, where he went through his run-downs of the day, and when he pondered upon issues that had plagued his mind. Simply put, it was his favorite time of the day—his favorite time, period.

Smiling, Shadow looked up from the ground and toward the path before him. He had been staring at the earth below him for quite awhile, and as a result, it appeared as if he was going to crash into the tree before him. Luckily, he was able to maneuver around it last second with a quick and graceful side-step, making him grin yet again. Easy. A few seconds after he had performed the move; however, he could hear the voice of a pink hedgehog speak in his mind; "Let me guess… that's one of your dance moves that you incorporated into your regular style, right?" He imagined her pausing; examining the eyebrow that Shadow rose. "And yes, I know what that word means!" For some reason, he found that he was chuckling to himself. Even when she wasn't there, she was still very entertaining…

Speaking of which, where exactly was Amy? Shadow had remembered something about her and Maria watching a movie, right? Oh yeah. He had promised that he was going to catch up with them after they had seen it. Which one was it? Humming, he looked around. It had been a girly movie, but that was all he knew. He had told them that he didn't feel like watching a chick flick when they mentioned it, but as he had expected, they had to make some jokes. Once again, they had been about a sparkly vampire, as they always were. Sadly, he didn't have any dirt on the two girls to properly strike back.

When he burst into the town, he found that the entire place was buzzing about with activity. Everywhere he looked there were teens in groups of four and five, families with screaming children, and lone wolves that tended to slump as they walked. Though he quickly remembered that it was Saturday, Shadow was sure that something was up. Usually, a town like Nightendale didn't exactly have so many inhabitants out and about. It was rather odd, but Shadow shrugged it off. As long as he found Amy and Maria, he didn't need to worry about local phenomena.

After a few minutes of running, he slowed to a jog and started looking throughout the crowds. Since the two girls were rather active, it was safe to assume that they were somewhere in the groups of walking teens, especially if Shaun was with them. The only predicament was of how he was going to locate them. Of course, the fact that Amy was the only pink hedgehog he knew did make locating her easier.

That didn't mean that she was trouble-free to trace. Within his thought process, he had failed to recognize that he was running straight toward the girl he was looking for, and as a result, he crashed into her. She let out a loud squeal, and Shadow released a rather ridiculous, "Oof!" With that, the force threw them to the ground. As expected, he heard the laughter of Maria and Shaun around him to follow. Lovely.

"Ow…" Shadow sat up, watching as Amy did the same. "Sheesh Shadow, that was a bit much, don't you think?"

Shadow stood up and hummed, "Well you saw me coming. You could have moved out of the way." He told her as he offered his outstretched hand to her.

"You weren't looking where you were going! It's just as much your fault as it is my fault!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger at him before grabbing his hand.

He smirked as he pulled her up. "You still could have moved. I wasn't even going half my top speed."

Amy just hummed, "Well, you're just being stubborn now." She paused, "Is supremely stubborn. Once he decides on something, doesn't compromise it for anything."

Shadow pointed a finger in her face, "And that is a fact. Got it memorized?"

Raising an eyebrow, the girl smirked, "So now you're quoting Kingdom Hearts? Plays way too many video games; can quote stuff a little too well."

He laughed, "And you can't?"

She let out a "ha" and nodded, "I'm just concentrated on other things. I have my own priorities, you know."

Shadow snickered, "Like playing whack-a-hedgehog?"

Her brow furrowed together as if she was frustrated, but she smiled nonetheless. "Likes making Amy want to play whack-a-hedgehog."

"Heck yes I do." Shadow sighed as he looked over to Maria and Shaun. "I forgot you guys were there."

"Gee, thanks Shadow." Maria sighed as she began to walk off, "I feel so special now."

Shadow merely rolled his eyes and smiled. "Whatever, you weird-o." He said, looking down at Amy once again. They stared at each other for just a moment before looking up towards the couple. The two were quite ahead of Shadow and Amy by the time they spotted them in the crowd, but the hedgehogs caught up without any trouble.

As the black and red hedgehog looked around the crowd, he found that he couldn't help but raise his eyebrow. Though there were children among the crowd, most of the multitude consisted of those above the age of thirteen. What exactly was going on anyways? Curiosity getting the better of him, he spoke. "Hey, why are all these people out here anyway?"

"They're all going to the park to see where community prom is going to be held this year. They announce it in the park every year." Shaun told him, looking ahead in the process.

Shadow hummed, "Community prom, huh?"

He nodded, "It's one of Nightendale's traditions."

A tradition, eh? Interesting. Silently, Shadow began to ponder about the subject. Very interesting indeed… "Hey," Shadow paused mid-thought; however, to look up at Amy. "Catch up you slow-poke!" Smirking, Shadow quickened his pace so he could keep up with the pink hedgehog. Even though he was one of the fastest beings alive, he was never quite fast enough for the impatient girl.

"Come on Shadow," Amy grabbed him by the wrist, making his thoughts screech to a halt once again, "if we keep walking this slowly, we're going to miss the entire thing!" Shadow merely raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Doesn't know how to hurry when he isn't running; likes to take forever when he takes walks." Shadow merely chuckled at her words, but complied nonetheless, and sped up to an even quicker pace.

After a few more minutes of walking, the group of four found a comfortable spot in the back of the crowd. From there they could still see the pavilion and they were able to move around without instantly being squished against some random civilian, which made it much more appealing than any other place in the mob. Of course, not being able to hear the speaker appeared to be an issue, but a microphone solved the problem before it even started. A white sheep in his mid-forties stood among a small group on the open-faced pavilion, chatting with quick, careful words before turning to the microphone. Wordlessly, he took it in his hand.

"Good afternoon! How are you all doing today?" The crowd replied with half-hearted cheers, and he smirked. "Oh come on, you guys can do better than that!" The next cheer had a little more power, but not enough to leave a good impression on the sheep. Smirking, he continued, "Okay, so I've got a question for you guys." He looked around, a mischievous smile on his face, "Are you guys ready for community prom?" For some reason, the third time around actually earned a sufficient amount of cheers, making his grin widen.

Quietly, Shaun leaned over toward Amy and Shadow, "That's my dad. He's on the city council." Humming, Shadow nodded to himself and Amy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "He usually acts as the head of stuff like this."

"Activities?" Shadow questioned. Shaun nodded before looking back up towards his father.

The man glanced about the crowd for a moment, waiting for the cheers to end. "Last year's community prom was held in Nightendale's Green Valley Care Center, and I just want to thank all of you for making that possible. Who all enjoyed last year's prom?" More cheers filled the air. Wearing a soft smile, he continued, "This year's location has been determined by last year's prom king and queen, as is tradition, and I must say, I'm rather excited for this year's location." He paused, smirking when the crowd leaned in extra close in anticipation. "This year, we are holding community prom right here in the park!"

And as expected, an explosion of voices filled the air, which left Shadow tempted to cover his ears in annoyance. He folded his arms instead as Maria turned to him, "Oh, this is so exciting! We haven't had an outdoor prom in years!"

Shaun nodded, "Let's just hope the weather holds up this time."

"Which is why they haven't held one outside in awhile, right?" Amy asked.

She received a simple nod before Shaun's father continued. "In one week we will hold the community prom here in the park. Our theme this year is 'Happily Ever After.' And as so, I hope to see you all there and in the proper attire and mood." More cheers were received, making Shadow roll his eyes. The citizens of Nightendale were… relentless when it came to their cheering. Hopefully, though, they'd be done with their announcement before long.

"Before you all get going, I just want to ask if there are any adults that are willing to go as chaperones. If there are, we have a sign-up sheet up here on the stage." Soft chatter followed, and Shadow began to ponder. Were Henry and Rita going to volunteer? "We're also taking nominations in this time for prom queen and king, so if any of you—"

And before he could even finish, Amy's hand shot up into the air, her voice ringing out above everyone in the crowd. "I nominate Maria Hedgehog!"

Maria jumped in surprise at the mention of her name and her face reddened, "What?"

Shaun smiled and threw his hand in the air, "I second that nomination!" He exclaimed, making Amy giggle as Maria's gaze whipped towards her boyfriend.

Before she had the chance to do anything; however, Shadow smirked and casually let his hand rise above his head. "Maria all the way."

Shaun's father smiled, "Well then we have our first nomine."

"You didn't even give me a chance to decline!" Maria exclaimed.

The crowd laughed and Shadow shrugged, "Too late now." The comment resulted in him earning a smack on the arm, which only made him laugh.

Time passed on, and more nominees were called upon. Unfamiliar names were called, such as a boy named Hugh Morris, as well as familiar names that they easily recognized. At one point, the lady who had had punched Shadow was voted in, thus revealing to Amy and Maria that the lady was a weight-lifting rhino. A few more names were called after her—Shaun being one of them—before they were excused.

As Shadow, Amy, and the rest of the gang began to walk off, a long series of thoughts began to voyage through Shadow's mind. A community prom? It seemed pretty silly, especially when it came to the theme. Happily ever after? That sounded rather girly to Shadow. Of course, proms usually seemed to be all about making the girls happy, especially since they put so much time into it. The makeup, the hair, the dress… how much money was spent on it all? Truthfully, Shadow didn't want to know.

"Hey Shadow," Amy spoke, pulling Shadow from his thoughts yet again, "Have you ever been to a dance?" The male stared at for a second before shaking his head, which easily revealed itself to be a mistake. "WHAT?" She screeched, making Shadow jump. "You've never been to one? Never?"

He nearly stuttered, "I've never really had the time or desire to, so—"

"Oh my heck!" She exclaimed, "You need to go then, even if you go stag!"

Wait, stag? What did that mean? "What's—"

"Ah Shadow, dances are the best! There's music, pretty dresses, food…" she paused to look at him again, her smile softening. "Would you ever go to one, though?"

The Ultimate Life Form took the moment of silence to gather his thoughts, then spoke, "Well, I'm not sure. I don't do well with crowds."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "We were just in a crowd, though." Shadow hummed half-heartedly and shrugged, making Amy sigh. "Tends to conflict himself with his words and his actions. Also likes to shrug a lot." Chuckling, Shadow shook his head. "Shakes his head a lot too!" And that only made him laugh.

Taking in a deep breath, Shadow smirked. "You are strange, Amy Rose. Very strange indeed." He told her, making her smile yet again. "Of course, I am curious of something."

She folded her arms, "And what would that be, mysterious Ultimate Life Form?"

He let out a "ha" before continuing. "Are you going to go to the dance?"

Amy looked away before speaking. "Maybe. If you guys are going… I mean, if Maria and Shaun are going, I might go."

Humming, Shadow nodded. "Sounds good."

"Yep." She sighed, looking back at Maria. "I'm going to go talk to Maria. Have fun talking to yourself!"

"Will do." As she slowed so Maria could catch up, Shadow smirked to himself. Though her tone had been uncertain, the far off, dreamy look in her eye had said something else. She wanted to go to the prom more than anything; it was some unfulfilled child-like dream that she simply had to go through with no matter what. And for some unknown, insane, unimaginable reason, Shadow wanted to help her with that dream.

Wait, he what? Shadow blinked a few times and shook his head, thrown off by the thought that had been born. What on Mobius? He glanced back at the bright pink girl, taking a moment to examine her. Her pink hair was in its usual state, her head-band was in place, her green eyes were shining… Shining? Growling, Shadow smacked himself on the forehead. He knew that he liked the girl, but what exactly was with the way he was acting? It was—

"Likes to talk to himself and smack himself in the forehead!" Amy suddenly yelled, making Shadow's eyes widen. The laughter of Shaun, Maria, and Amy soon followed, making him sigh. Of course they had seen him do that.

He growled, "What if I did it for a reason?"

"And that is?"

It was dead silent as the two stared at each other, and after about ten seconds, he turned around. "Okay, you win."

She threw her arms into the air and cried out, "Victory!" Then she smiled to herself and caught up to Shadow. "Doesn't like to admit that he loses."

* * *

><p>As Shadow sat in the large chair located in the living room, he found himself growling yet again. What was it with women and taking long showers? They were clean regardless of how long the wash was, but for some reason, the ritual of a half hour long cleansing period was something that women simply had to bask in. His mother was no exception.<p>

Once the family had returned, they had discovered that there was one thing on the to-do list for the day and one thing alone: cleaning. And when it came to cleaning, it was seriously the deepest cleaning job Shadow had ever participated in. They picked up things, washed windows, swept every square centimeter of the ground, and many other nit-picky activities that drove him insane. It took a while, and in that aspect Shadow didn't really mind it, but the thing that bothered him wasn't being able to talk to the person he wanted to. Every time he tried to chat with her in a quiet spot, one of the family members came to ask her a question. After awhile, he had given up hope and left off in a huff to mow the lawn.

After such a long day though, everyone else had gone off to bed without another word to each other. That left Shadow, the only one who was still awake mentally, with the means to finally talk to his mother. Despite the fact that he found it so irritating that he had to wait so long for her, he also found an equally strong feeling of peace. For some reason, the fact that he was going to be able to chat with his mother was a very comforting thing…

"Shadow," Speak of the devil! "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?" Shadow looked up, smiling as Rita walked into the room and found a spot on the couch closest to Shadow's chair.

"I don't need as much sleep as the rest of you. You know, being the Ultimate Life Form." He explained, whirling his finger around in a circle for some reason. "What about you? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

She sighed and shrugged, "No reason really. I just like to ponder before I go the bed sometimes."

"Huh." Shadow whispered, sitting back further into the chair. Interesting…

"So," Rita sighed as she took the brush from her hand and pulled it upward toward her head. "What's on your mind?"

He smirked, "What gives you the idea that something is on my mind?"

"Usually, you'd be in bed by now, Shadow." Rita told him, "And I've already raised three children, I know when something's bothering them. Now tell me what's up."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at the notion of him being considered a child, but he continued nonetheless. "Alrighty…" He sighed and looked away. "You see, I'm currently… deciding upon something."

"Deciding?"

"Actually, more along the lines of considering." Oh, he was already off to a rough start. "Um… you see, the community prom is, uh, coming and I—"

"You're thinking about asking Amy?" Shadow's eyes shot wide open and he found himself nearly gapping. How on Mobius had she done that? Recognizing his shock, Rita smiled. "Shadow, it's all over your face. Every time you talk about Amy, you tend to get a certain… look in your eye."

Shadow stared at her for a moment before regaining his composure and looking away. "Well I was—"

"Shadow, you don't need to be embarrassed! It's perfectly normal if you want to ask Amy to the prom." Rita smiled, a slight sense of joy filling her voice.

Slowly, Shadow looked back to her. For a moment, he was engaged in the deepest and most life-threatening staring contest he had ever competed in. Then, after his mother had blinked several times, he sighed. "If it's so okay, may I ask you a question?" She simply nodded and he continued. "What exactly am I supposed to do? I mean… how am I supposed to ask her?"

She smiled, "Shadow, I'm sure that Amy will like whatever you do for her."

The hedgehog furrowed his brow and shook his head. "But what if she doesn't? I mean, I don't even want to go to this thing, but Amy does, and if I look like I'm trying too hard, she might get the impression that I'm trying to show off or something."

Rita laughed, "Shadow, my goodness, you're worrying as much a teenage girl! Calm down!" What was with people comparing him to teenage girls lately? "Shadow, from what I have seen, Amy absolutely adores you."

His heart nearly skipped a beat at Rita's words. "Really?" He asked, uncertainty filling his words. Did Amy like him that much?

She nodded, "Shadow, if you're doing something nice for her, she's going to like it even if it isn't something big! And hey, if you're bringing her because it will make her happy, it's going to mean even more to her. Trust me, I would know."

Shadow stayed in his near-frozen position as he pondered on her words, a cautious smile forming on his face. "You know what? You're absolutely right!" He exclaimed, shooting up out of the chair. "And I know just what to do!" He exclaimed, a new found confidence blooming in his chest. "Goodnight mom!" Shadow started off, turning quickly on his heel, "Thanks!" He gave her a quick hug before he walked off once again. "It means a lot."

A near proud look on her face, Rita nodded. "You're welcome, Shadow." She spoke softly. "I love you."

The hedgehog stopped in his place and turned back. "Love you too." With a quick smile, Shadow nodded toward her and dashed off toward his room. After so many difficulties in his life, it seemed as if everything was finally going right.

* * *

><p>Despite having practiced his "composed" face the entire day, it was beyond obvious that Shadow wasn't exactly in the calmest state of mind. The very way that he held himself seemed to let off an abundance of nervousness, and it made Amy raise her eyebrows at the very sight. As she stared at the hedgehog, Shadow did his best not to grin idiotically. The last thing he wanted was to smile in a situation that was supposed to be serious. Or even worse; he didn't want to give himself away.<p>

Of course, every time he thought about his "idea" of how to ask her, he felt his stomach do a back flip and a half. Why was he nervous? He wasn't even doing it for such reasons that would make someone uneasy, and yet he felt like he was going to throw up! The bigger question at hand; however, was simple. What had he been thinking? It wasn't like Shadow to do something so girly, and even though he was doing it for Amy, he found it hard to justify his own actions.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Amy asked as she placed her hands on her hips. He blinked once and nodded, but that only made Amy roll her eyes. "Isn't very good at hiding things when something is on his mind. Tends to… glare at things when he's thinking too hard."

Sighing, Shadow looked down at Amy. "I'm fine, I promise."

"Really?" She narrowed her eyes jokingly, "Are you really Shadow? Or is there something that's eating away at your soul?"

"You are so weird." Shadow laughed, pushing the girl away softly.

Amy laughed along, "Of course I am! What do you expect from someone who hangs out with you all the time?"

As he walked down the hallway and into the living room of the house, Shadow simply shrugged. "I had to get it from somewhere. You taught me everything in the ways of the weird."

She hummed, a melodramatic expression of concentration taking over as she placed a finger on her chin. "Or was that Sonic? I was pretty sure it was him he taught you all that."

Shadow chuckled as he sat down on the floor, "Ah yes, it was Sonic. How could I forget?"

Henry walked into the room with his wife as Amy pointed a finger toward the ceiling, quickly finding a humble abode next to Shadow on the floor as she did. "It is a fact then. Was taught by Sonic how to be weird and enjoy things."

"Hey, I knew how to enjoy things before, I just—"

"Shadow, dearie, what time is it?"

Glancing back at his mother, Shadow shrugged. "Beats me. I think it's about… three-thirty or something?" Wait. Three-thirty. Aw crap. His ears flopped forward and his stomach tied itself into a huge note. Did it have to be three-thirty already?

As if the universe had been plotting his demise from the moment he was "born," the doorbell rang at that moment. Shadow's heart froze in place as Henry walked toward the door. He informed them with a polite, "I'll get it," although it was already quite obvious that he was going to do it. For a moment, near silence followed as he opened the door, and Amy placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"Are you okay, Shadow?" He pulled up a finger as if he was organizing his thoughts, but before that could happen; Amy had the glass rose in hand. "My goodness Shadow, what's wrong?" Even the rose was displaying his anxiety, as it was nearly in a full budded form with large, sharp thorns protruding from the stem. Oh, what on Mobius had he been thinking?

And of course, as if things couldn't have gotten any worse, his "messengers" walked in at that moment. Tina, Maria, and Shaun waltzed into the living room wearing matching T-shirts that were decorated with red, white, and pink roses; each carrying a bundle of roses as if it was a prized trophy. Amy's eyes widened and her ears perked up, but Shadow's fell further and further with each step they took. How… what was he thinking when he had asked them for help? Silently, Amy put the glass rose away as she watched them come closer.

"A dozen roses for a rose!" Tina exclaimed, handing the first white dozen to Amy with a large smile.

"To show how much he appreciates you!" Maria told her, handing the second bunch to her, all of which were colored a lovely shade of pink.

"And to ask you a question!" As Amy took the third red bunch from Shaun, an unmistakable smile overtook her face. Though it felt foolish at first, something about her grin calmed the nervous aura that had taken Shadow.

The three stepped back, soft smiles gracing their face as Amy sorted through the three bunches. From the corner of his eye, Shadow could spot Rita pulling out a camera, but he kept his gaze focused on Amy. Silently, she pulled out the card that was settled within the first bunch, then read it as a white flash enveloped them for a brief moment. She put on a puzzled expression, but her eyes quickly lit up as she realized that they had to be read in a certain order. Without another word, she began to search through the other sets.

"Do you want some help?" Maria asked, a near mischievous grin settling upon her face.

Amy nodded, "Yes please!" she told her, handing the already-searched-through dozen to Maria. She took it wordlessly and watched as Amy found the second and third card. Then, she handed the other dozen to Tina and Shaun to hold as she placed the cards on the floor. Without another word, she began to read them, "Will you," She looked toward the next card, "go to prom," then at the last, "with me?"

Shadow simply stared at the girl for a moment, his thoughts racing as she examined the cards. What was she thinking? Her smile widened for what seemed to be the millionth time that day as she turned to Shadow. At that moment his nervousness died off, but a fear of being tackled quickly filled its place.

Somehow, Amy had acquired the ability to move faster than Shadow's thought process, so he found that his prediction had been correct. Luckily; however, he had grown accustomed to the action, so he was able to suppress a yelp. That didn't stop the stars from spinning around his head when she hit him, and it certainly didn't help when another white flash temporarily blinded him to boot.

As he tried to find his bearings he heard Amy laugh, "Shadow, that is so sweet! Of course I'll go with you!" She exclaimed, pulling Shadow back up into a sitting position. "And you know what? I have a few more words for you! Is a super sweet and awesome hedgehog; knows how to make Amy smile!" And with that, Amy pulled him into another hug.

The hedgehog smiled, feeling the relief of a thousand and one pounds of stress being lifted from his shoulders. "Do you like it?"

Amy laughed, "Like it? I love it!" and it made Shadow happy.

* * *

><p>Holy cow, I haven't updated since April. _ But have no fear, chapter 21 is here! :D Next time, I'll try and get up another chapter sooner. But as they say, life goes on. :P<p>

Anyways, I hope you guys like it. You see that review button down there? It is your friend!


	22. I Must Dress Like a Princess!

** Chapter 22: I Must Dress Like a Princess! **

Her mind was racing, and it was as simple as that. "Come on," Amy whispered to herself as she stared at the clock, "move faster!" Although she knew for a fact that staring and yelling wouldn't do anything to affect the laws of physics, she couldn't help but try. She was going insane (at least, in her own mind) waiting for the clock to strike three. As soon as it did, Maria, Tina, and Amy were going to go to the local dress shop. The images of trying on all kinds of dresses had been flowing through her mind the entire day, and as the time to go the shop grew near, she found that her anticipation had grown to an unimaginable level. It was no longer a want to go; it was a need. She simply had to find the perfect gown. If she did, she was sure that the prom would be just as wonderful.

Her mind was so wrapped up in her girlish fantasy that when Shadow called her name, it didn't register until, "Amy!" was nearly at yelling volume. Once she recognized that, she turned to him with a nearly confused expression.

"What?" She asked naively, quickly received a look of disbelief from the hedgehog.

He was silent for a moment before he looked away, his expression softening as he spoke. "I was just wondering… what are you planning on getting at the shop?"

His question threw her off for a moment, but she spoke nonetheless. "I don't know yet, but that's why we're going to take awhile picking one out. Why do you ask?"

Shadow hummed, looking down at the small bowl of chocolate pudding he had dished out for himself earlier. "I was just wondering. I don't really want to wear anything wild, if you catch my drift."

For a moment she was confused. Then, she quickly remembered and caught on to what he had been saying. "Right! Whatever color my dress is, your vest and tie have to match." She smirked, "Maybe I should find a rainbow dress." The look he gave in response only made her laugh. "Goodness Shadow, I was kidding! I would never wear something so eccentric." Taking a moment to ponder upon what she had said, Amy pointed a finger at Shadow. "Doesn't really like to delve into things that are considered to be 'eccentric.' Would never ever want to wear a rainbow outfit; is horrified at the thought."

Instead of giving the reaction she had hoped for, Shadow smirked as he picked up his spoon, "Since when did you know what eccentric means?" As he took a bite of the chocolaty substance, Amy found herself trying to find a snarky comeback. After a few seconds, the Ultimate Life Form merely chuckled. "Nothing to say?"

Amy narrowed her eyes at Shadow, "I may not be the ultimate, but at least…" She stopped and sighed, "Yeah, I got nothing."

Shadow laughed, "Well, I applaud you for trying."

She smiled at him, "And I thank you for being kind. Can be very nice when he wants to. Is quite the gentleman in all reality."

Shadow bowed, "Why, thank you." Then, he gazed down at his pudding.

An odd silence suddenly settled upon the two, making Amy giggle to herself. "Like most guys, can't keep his mind off food."

The hedgehog quickly opened his mouth as if he had some form of evidence to prove her wrong, but he closed it soon after. "You are right." He told her, taking another bite, "I can't. But it isn't entirely my fault. The fact that it's my mother's homemade recipe gives me some leverage when it comes to making my point."

Amy only widened her smile, "Complicates things way too much when he talks."

He hummed, folding his arms if only for a moment. "Not true. I simply put more detail into my explanations, that is all."

She laughed, "Often proves himself wrong when trying to show that he's right; makes himself look funny when he does."

Shadow merely continued to scoop pudding into his mouth. "You're just jealous, Amy Rose. Never could you acquire the skills that I have when it comes to describing things."

"Ah yes Shadow, I am jealous; jealous of your abilities to monologue more than Eggman!" He growled at her comment, making her laugh. "Could be quite the speech giver if he felt like it."

His mouth opened as if he was going to say something, but Maria walked in at that moment. "Hey Amy, you ready?"

Excitement filled her to the brim and she shot up out of her seat. "Yes!" She exclaimed, looking down as Shadow. "Sorry, you're all by yourself. Again."

Shadow merely put a hand up as if to silence her. "I'm used to it."

Amy grinned, "Likes using simple gestures to get his point across. Often is left behind by all his gal pals when they go on adventures."

He chuckled, "Gal pals?"

Maria snickered at that as well, but Amy huffed, puffing her chest out. "You must not question me, Shadow the Hedgehog! It will only result in mass confusion and… spontaneous combustion."

It was at that point in time that Shadow literally laughed out loud.

* * *

><p>Though it appeared to be small, the dress shop in Nightendale was full of beautiful gowns and personality. Each one had been hand crafted, made with careful fingers and the greatest care, leaving every single dress with its own special glow. Every single one was perfect; fitting for a princess (which instantly made her think of Blaze and Sally), or maybe even a queen! But as if simply being in the store wasn't enough to make her smile, Amy had the pleasure of knowing that she was going to be able to buy the dress. And it wasn't even going to be Shadow's money, but hers that she used. She was really going to keep one of the dresses! That in itself excited her.<p>

And of course, as soon as the door was opened, she ran in and excitedly began shuffling through the dresses. Which one was right? Which dress was _hers_? After a few moments of searching, Amy heard the sound of a voice being cleared from behind. She turned, "May I help you?"

The woman before her was huge for a Mobian; a shocking six feet tall! She was dressed in the finest clothes Amy had ever seen in her life, and her face was adorned in a soft layer of makeup that made her entire face light up. A pair of glasses was sitting up upon her short brown hair. After a few moments of staring, Amy recognized that the woman was a giraffe. But despite her not being a scary breed, Amy felt intimidated by the woman.

She took a step back away from the rack, afraid that the woman would beat her if she didn't otherwise. "I um, well I…" Stuttering and sputtering on her words, Amy did her best to appear casual and calm. Hopefully, the woman wasn't as strict as she looked…

"Gracie!" The woman turned quickly on her heel, instantly filling Amy with a sense of relief. "We're here to pick up our dresses!"

The giraffe's eyes lit up when her gaze settled upon Maria and Tina, "Ah, splendid! I was hoping that you two would be able to come over soon!" She exclaimed, a full smile on her lips, "I'll have my assistants bring them out." Gracie looked away toward the back of the shop, "Boys, can you bring out Maria and Tina Hedgehog's orders?" For a moment, there was no response. However, an irritated expression soon took over her face. "BOYS!"

The sound of something falling and crashing to the ground—which was followed by several screeches—made Amy jump and widen her eyes. What on Mobius? A few seconds later, Gracie's three assistants called out in unison, "Yes Ms. Gracie, right away Ms. Gracie!" And before Amy could even blink, the three were standing next to Gracie. She gapped when she realized who her "assistants" were.

The tallest of the group, a crocodile wearing headphones, was holding up a dark green dress, doing his best to control his obvious irritation at his "boss." His friend, a pink chameleon, did a better job at hiding his emotions as he held up the pink dress, as his face was showing neither annoyance nor pleasure at being called. It was the youngest; however, that was shaking in place as he held the shoes to go with the gowns. He was a young bee, wearing a pair of goggles on top of his head, a hat, and a vest to match with it.

Amy merely stared at the three as they handed Maria and Tina their items. What on Mobius were the members of the Chaotix doing working for an ornery dress shop owner? Before she could ask them, Gracie ordered them out with a swift point of her finger. They ran out as fast as they could.

Once the three were gone, Gracie took in a deep breath and smiled. "Well, I hope that your dresses will serve you well. I presume that you are going with Shaun, Maria?" The yellow hedgehog nodded. "And Tina, you're going with…?"

"Joshua Strider." Tina answered, her smile widening at the mention of his name.

Maria chuckled. "He's a stallion. You could say that he has a long face when he's down…"

Tina growled, "Oh shut up." Maria merely laughed, and Gracie smiled softly.

"It sounds that you rather like this stallion, right Tina?" The shop owner questioned, making Tina's cheeks burn red. She tried to answer, but Maria took her chance once again.

"She loves watching him run. The way he gallops off into the sunset…" Maria laughed again as Tina growled, doing her best to make her elder sister stop. The shop owner chuckled at their mini squabble once before standing up straight (as if she could be any taller).

"So, is there anything else I can help you out with?" Gracie asked once their attention was back on her.

"Actually, yes there is!" Maria told her as she handed her dress to Tina. "My friend Amy," She started, walking over to where the younger hedgehog stood. "is going to need a prom dress." Maria placed her hands and Amy's shoulders. "And who better to go to than you?"

Gracie looked back down at the hedgehog, taking a moment to examine her body. "Hm… a petite figure, slim shape…" She was silent for a moment. "Who will you be going with?"

For the first time since before going into the shop, Amy spoke. "Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog."

The giraffe actually looked shocked at that. "You mean the gloomy one?"

Maria snickered, "He's my brother."

She nearly gapped before she pulled her sophisticated aura back together, quickly replacing the shock with a smile. "Well then, I know exactly what you need than, or my name isn't Gracie Grace!" And with that, she turned towards the left side of the shop.

Amy's heart froze in place as they headed off, "Gracie Grace? As in _the _Gracie Grace?"

As she led them off, Gracie nodded. "Of course, dearie. Who else do you think?"

Amy gasped, "Oh my gosh! I love your work! Heck, I'm wearing one of your shirts right now! I can't believe that I'm—that you're—you're the one that—you are—wow—I—wow!" Amy paused for breath. "I can't believe that you're in a town as small as Nightendale! I mean, why aren't you in some place like Station Square?"

Gracie, along with the two older hedgehogs, smiled at her comment. "I may have my stores all over Mobius, but my hometown is right here in Nightendale. This shop here," She stopped and turned around, motioning to all the dresses around her. "Is my favorite. Everything you see before you was handmade by moi. I've spent years compiling everything."

Amy gazed around, "They're all so pretty."

She smirked, "Thank you, dearie. Let's just see if there's one that will work for you!"

And without another word, Gracie got to work. She grabbed Amy by the wrist and dragged her off to the corner, placing her next to a huge mirror. "Stand still for a moment." Gracie ordered as Tina and Maria sat down in the chairs next to the mirror. "Let's see…" She pulled a sort of measuring ribbon out of her pocket and pushed her glasses into place before kneeling down so she was at an even level with Amy. Carefully, she placed the ribbon around her waist, then her chest. She nodded to herself. "I will be right back."

The giraffe stood back up and walked off. At first Amy thought that she was going to go straight to the rack of dresses, but instead, she headed off to the backroom. A few seconds later, a loud crack filled the air, which was quickly followed by a, "Ouch!" which probably belonged to Vector. Once the quiet—but very angry—scolding that followed was over, the three assistants walked out. Gracie followed.

The three walked over to where Amy, Tina, and Maria where, but Gracie had stopped to pick out a few dresses. Amy watched her for a moment, curiously doing her best to spot out what she was picking. What exactly was she thinking of for Amy? Hopefully nothing too… what was the word? Flashy?

Humming, Amy glanced back at the members of the Chaotix. Instantly, she smiled. "So, what are the members of the Chaotix doing working for Gracie Grace?"

Maria and Tina put on confused expressions, but it was Charmy that spoke. "We were asked to pro—"

Espio quickly put a hand over the boy's mouth. "We've gone undercover for a special case. That's all."

Amy smirked and raised an eyebrow as the leader of their group growled. "She's impossible to work with! So demanding; Vector go get me doughnuts. No, I said chocolate filled! You idiot! Go file my paperwork, go walk my dog, go wash my forty-eight Italian sport-cars!" He exclaimed, doing a sad imitation of her voice in the process. "And do I ever hear a thank you? No! It's always work, work, work! If I ever even get one little thing wrong, do you know what she does?"

The hedgehog snickered, "She slaps you?"

"She slaps me! Seriously, that woman drives me crazy!"

"Vector, I just want to let you know that I can hear every word you're saying." The crocodile froze in his place as her calm voice spoke from a few racks away. "Do you want to have to go wash my 'forty-eight Italian sport-cars' again?"

He rapidly shook his head, "No Ms. Gracie."

"Then I suggest you stop complaining and get back to what you were doing earlier." She ordered as she walked over to the group of Mobians, now holding several luxurious gowns. "Now."

Vector left without a second warning, but Espio and Charmy stayed put. She sighed before shaking her head. "Anyway, please come this way Miss—"

"Rose."

She nodded, "This way Miss Rose."

Gracie led her to the back of the shop, quickly revealing that it was much bigger than Amy had originally anticipated. There was a huge dressing room before them, and off to the left of that was a room full of flawless wedding gowns. How many rooms did the shop have? Before Amy could ask, Gracie had taken her by the hand and pulled her into the dressing room.

"I'm going to have you try on a few dresses," Gracie told her, "and because I value these gowns, I'm going to help you get them on the first time. Some of them can be rather tricky…"

Amy glanced back to the open doorway. "Aren't we going to—" Gracie snapped her fingers, making a stall door suddenly appear in the doorway. It closed gently; Amy raised her eyebrows. "Wow."

"I settle for only the best, dearie. Nothing less." Gracie told her as she pulled out one of the many dresses, "Now, let's get started!"

The next hour consisted of trying on dresses, modeling them for Maria, Tina, Espio, and Charmy, and taking them off and going to the next one. Though some of the dresses were far too tight, and others were far too loose, Amy found herself enjoying the process. Whether they felt good or not, each dress made her look amazing. They flattered her figure, made he feel confident; every time she put one on, she became more excited for the Prom. Even though fashion wasn't his thing, Amy knew that Shadow was going to like her choice.

After trying on what felt like a million dresses, Amy had narrowed her choice down to three gowns, which had all been hung up on the wall before her. The first was a bright orange dress with a square neck-line, short sleeves, and a big poofy bottom. The second was a sea green dress that ruffled out just below her knees, and the last one was a yellow dress covered in small yellow fabric flowers. Though they were all lovely, Amy knew that she could only pick one.

For several minutes, Amy looked between the three dresses. She hummed and pointed toward the orange one, "This one is cute, but a little too… puffy for even my taste." Gracie nodded and took it away from its place. Folding her arms, Amy grinned. "And then there were two."

The girl continued to look back and forth between the two dresses. While they were both cute, she had to admit; the yellow one was the one she liked better. With a smile, Amy pointed to the yellow dress. "I'll take that one."

Gracie smiled as she grabbed the two dresses, handing the yellow one to Amy. "I was hoping you'd choose this one." She told her.

Amy nodded in response, following Gracie as she stepped out of the large room. Once the group of Mobians spotted her, Maria and Tina stood up.

"Oh, I'm so glad you picked that one! You're going to look amazing!" Maria exclaimed.

Tina nodded in agreement, "Shadow's going to love it."

"She's going with Shadow?" Charmy exclaimed, "Why didn't any of you tell me?"

Charmy's companion ignored him, "It's a good thing you chose this one." Espio spoke, his tone even and calm. "The gown flatters your shape and it fits you well; it puts emphasis in all the right places. The other two were good, but this one is the best." Dead silence. Amy didn't know Espio was good with fashion…

Vector cried out from the backroom, poking his head out from around the corner. "Wait, which one did she pick?"

Gracie growled, "Get back to work!"

"I am, I am!" He exclaimed, ducking behind the doorway before Gracie could attack.

Amy giggled at him before looking toward Maria. "Hey, can you take a picture of me holding the dress? So Shadow can see?" She glanced back at Gracie, "That is okay, right?"

"Because you're buying it, it's fine."

Amy nodded and turned back to Maria, who was holding up her phone. Without a word, Amy held up the dress and grinned. "Say cheese!" And Maria clicked the button.

* * *

><p>Shadow snickered as he watched the woman fall forward, crash onto the red inflatable ball, and fall into the water. He had known from the start that she wasn't going to make it across, but it had been fun to watch anyway. Especially since she squealed so loud…<p>

"I swear," Henry sighed as he sat back into the couch, "Television just gets weirder and weirder. They never had anything like this when I was a kid."

The Ultimate Life Form shrugged, "Me neither."

Henry chuckled, "I wouldn't have imagined there to be." He was silent for a moment as he watched the woman swim to the next obstacle. "What did you watch, anyway?"

"Sailor Moon. Maria insisted." Though Shadow never would have admitted that he actually enjoyed it too. Of course, Amy already knew, so it wouldn't really have mattered if his father knew either. But then again, it was different when a guy knew than when a girl knew, so Shadow decided to keep shut about it.

Before Henry had the proper time to say something in response, the text alert on his phone went off. He sighed and grabbed for the device in his pocket as quickly as possible, "Why doesn't anybody call anymore?" Henry asked, flipping the phone open so he could view the text. Shadow watched as his eyes flew across the screen, a smile growing on his face. Henry looked at Shadow, "I think this is for you."

The hedgehog took the phone silently, smiling when he saw the picture. Amy was standing in a dress shop, holding up a bright yellow gown, a smile on her face. Underneath the picture were several words. _This is what I've picked out! :D I hope it isn't too crazy for your oh-so-refined tastes. _He smirked and hit the button to reply.

_Not at all. I think it's very nice; it fits you well. _Without a spoken word, he sent the message to her.

A few minutes later, he got a reply. _Than may I use these for my next words: Likes Amy's yellow Prom dress; doesn't think it's too crazy. ;)_

He wrote back a simple reply: _Yes, you can. :)_

* * *

><p>Yay! :D It didn't take so long to update this time! I hope you guys think? I hope you liked it! ^^<p>

Poor Vector. XD For those of you who have played Animal Crossing, you'll recognize something about a certain character in this. Shadow likes Wipeout. :)

And thank you guys for all the reviews last time! Thirteen reviews for one chapter! You guys are so nice! Until next time you awesome possums! :D


	23. Of Fairytales and Dubstep

** Chapter 23: Of Fairytales and Dubstep**

After a long day of waiting, watching movies, and playing video games, the hour she had been long dreaming of was finally here. Although, truthfully, it wasn't like she had literally been dreaming of the event, but—Amy shook her head. Why did she have to get so literal and analytical with her thoughts when she was nervous? She rolled her eyes and smacked herself in the forehead, which she instantly regretted.

Shadow had been walking past her at that point in time (as he had been rushing out the door to get ready at Shaun's house), but he had paused to look at her. "Should I be concerned for your well being?"

She didn't know whether to chuckle or to respond with a snarky comment, so somehow, she did a little bit of both. The result was a sound that was similar to that of a dying cow, presuming that it had been shot in the back upon reaching its demise. And of course, as it was routine to do so, Shadow laughed and ruffled her hair as he walked into the living room. "Nicely done, Amy."

Not knowing what else to do, Amy shrugged and let out a, "Shut up." Which only sounded half serious, making Shadow smirk yet again. Of course, being as frazzled as she was, her lack of concentration was not very surprising. "Likes making fun of Amy when she is not thinking clearly. Mocks the fact that she accidently sometimes might make cow sounds."

He laughed at the words she had added to the total, but it was obvious that Shadow was rather "frazzled" as well, even though it wasn't as extreme for him as it was for Amy. He had light shadows under his eyes (as it was hard to see with how naturally dark he was), and he had walked around throughout the day at a bit slower pace than usual. Despite that, though, he accomplished his goal of appearing to be calm and collected as he smiled at her. "Always so strange, Amy." He stated, grabbing the shoe box he had placed on the sofa-side table earlier. "Always."

Amy huffed jokingly and folded her arms. "Well, you're just as weird as I am. Unlike Amy, struts his stuff without admitting that he does."

He rolled his eyes as he turned to the door, "You wish." And with that, he opened it and turned back, a genuine smile sitting lightly on his face. "I'll see you later, Amy."

His words had been as real as his smile, and it made Amy's grin widen as well. She simply couldn't help but smile back at him. "Later, Shadow."

He grinned at her one last time before nodding, turning, and heading out the door. When he had run off, though, Amy found herself frozen in place and in thought, her mind lingering on his smile. She found that once she had started to think about it, it was almost impossible to stop… almost.

She snapped herself out of it the same way she had earlier, and she happened to do it at the same time that Maria walked in. The girl paused when she saw Amy's hand contact with her forehead, and once Amy noticed she had seen in, she froze in her place. Once again, she had managed to make someone question her sanity.

But luckily, all Maria did was laugh. "I'm not even going to ask."

Amy sighed in relief, although it was half serious. "Good, because I wasn't going to tell you anyway."

Maria laughed again at her, a smile present on her face. "Anyway… would you like to start getting ready? Tina and I have started doing our makeup, and if you need help with that or your hair, now would be the time to ask, because mom is ready to help!"

A smile found its way onto Amy's face once again, and she nodded without a second thought. "Would she be willing?" She paused as if to think. "To do something nice with my hair, I mean?"

Maria smiled a soft and confident grin, nodding as she grabbed Amy by the hand and led her off. "We'll see what we can do—what she can do. I'm sure she'll figure out something."

* * *

><p>Shadow could think of only one other time in his life in which he had worn something like the tuxedo he was admiring at the moment in the mirror. It had been a year ago—maybe longer and he had been doing what exactly? It took only a moment for the bitter and distasteful memory to resurface, and once it did, he found himself reflecting on the event with a strong sense of remorse and guilt.<p>

Luckily; however, he found that it was easy to shake off. It hadn't been his fault (first of all), and at the moment his thoughts needed to be on happier things (second, and most important), especially since he was going to the community prom with Amy. He knew for a fact that if he appeared to pick her up while wearing a frown that he was going to have his butt kicked—literally. Amy had very quickly proved to Shadow that she wasn't afraid to apply the literal meaning of such phrases, and often, her actions led to Shadow receiving either a bruise or a headache. Especially whack-a-hedgehog…

The thought made him chuckle. Then, it made him smile. Her optimism, her energy, her smile; it all never failed to amaze him. Even though she had her trials and hardships, she always did her best and Shadow admired her for that. The fact of the matter was simple; she always tried her hardest and she helped others on their way. Her selfless attitude was just what such a selfish world needed…

And her smile. Her smile alone brightened the heavens and lifted his load. When he saw it, he couldn't help but smile back, even when some of the time, he rather would have scoffed and looked away. It was a contagious thing; it was like the plague, but much worse because it left no survivors. Or was it better? He didn't know. All he knew for sure was that every time he saw it—whether it was the real deal or a pleasant memory—his smile returned in full glory. And of course, it had somehow managed to make that smile's presence a regular occurrence; and one that other people recognized as well.

"Hey Shadow," The hedgehog jumped a bit and turned to the voice that had spoken to him, "You still there?" He stared at Shaun for a few seconds before nodding. "Then let's get going! Unless you want to sit here and think about Amy instead, that is…"

Shadow's cheeks burned red for just a moment, but he did his best to ignore it. "Wait… they're already ready? Wouldn't… aren't they supposed to take a longer time then that?"

The sheep—now clad in his equally classy tux—shrugged. "Their family has always been rather speedy when it came to these things. You could almost say it _runs _in the family."

Shadow placed his palm over his face, shaking it in the process. "You can't be serious."

Shaun chuckled yet again. "Oh, I yam." Shadow's hand fell from his face as he put on a confused expression. "Just imagine that I'm holding a can of yams."

The hedgehog merely shook his head, "Someone help me."

Laughing, Shaun patted him on the back, pulling something out of his pocket with his free hand. "Don't worry; I will _not_ be doing this the entire time."

"Good. I don't think I can handle…" Shadow quickly paused though, because he had discovered what Shaun had pulled from his pocket: a shoelace tied into a knot. "Someone shoot me."

Shaun laughed again, "Sorry. I just haven't been able to use that on anyone for awhile." He quickly pocketed the "knot" and turned to him. "I promise I'm done."

The hedgehog sighed in relief. "Please."

"Don't worry, I don't have anything else! And even if I did, it wouldn't really matter because—" At that moment his cell phone made a dinging sound, which made his eyes instantly travel to his pocket. He quickly reached for the cell phone and flipped it open, his eyebrows rising. "I uh… think this is for you."

The sheep held the phone out to Shadow, and he took it without another word. "Hey Shadow, you should huuurrryyyyyy. I want to go dance! Pretty, pretty, pretty please?" He smirked and shook his head, "Does not understand what it means to be punctual, even though he is so fast." Snapping the phone, he handed it back to Shaun. "Silly…"

Shaun smirked and nodded, "So I'm guessing that it's time to go?"

Shadow nodded in return, "Indeed it is." He quickly glanced around Shaun's living room, his eyes spotting the bright yellow corsage in its plastic container within a matter of seconds. It was made out of tiny sunshine colored flowers—they looked like roses—that were laced with green leaves throughout. Shadow grabbed it, holding it carefully as he turned to Shaun, who was holding the pink corsage he had picked out for Maria. His was composed of pink flowers that faded into white at the end of the petals, laced with white ribbon and soft green leaves. The two examined each other's choice for a moment before nodding. Then, they exchanged one last glance before heading out the door.

The walk to Henry and Rita's house was short, but it felt like an eternity and a half. What all was going to transpire throughout the evening? Was Amy going to enjoy the dance? Was Shadow going to be a good date? And if not, what would happen afterwards if everything went wrong? Would their friendship fall to pieces? And most importantly; why on Mobius did Shaun randomly have a tied shoelace in his pocket? Shadow blinked once at the odd and miss-placed thought, and then he blinked again to reassure him of their location. Yes, they were already there.

Walking across the lawn and knocking of the door blurred together in Shadow's memory. The mixture of nervousness and anticipation had caused the whole world to sway, and it wasn't until the door opened and he saw Amy that it stopped. And the moment he did, his heart skipped a beat; maybe even two.

She was standing there in her yellow dress, glowing in a magnificent splendor that had no equal. Her hair had been pulled up into a bun that flowed and twisted like a wild flower, and her makeup had been applied carefully as to make her eyes pop and her face glow. There was a light layer of lipstick on her lips, and a slight smile that graced them as well. But what was it that stuck out the most? It was simply the fact that she seemed to outshine the sun as she stood there. Her joy, her good attitude, her excitement; it made Shadow smile. She had a contagious good attitude about her, but it was the fact that she simply looked so beautiful that made Shadow's heart speed up.

As Shaun and Shadow stepped through the door, the latter opened his mouth to speak, but he was abruptly stopped. "Oh Henry, where's the camera? I need to get a picture of this!" Rita had appeared as suddenly and as quickly as a strike of lightning, which made Shadow smile. Leave it to her to be so excited for her children…

"Right here!" Henry called out shortly after, carrying the very device Rita had been looking for. "Do you want me to take the pictures?"

"That would be great, dear." And with that, he started to take pictures of the two couples as they exchanged corsages and boutonnieres (for Tina and Joshua had already left for the dance, since they were in a different group).

And as Amy and Shadow traded, Shadow found himself smiling incurably. Ever so carefully, he tied the corsage around her wrist, smiling down at her as she placed the matching boutonniere on his tuxedo. Once she was done, she looked up at him and smiled. "I have a few more words for you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Really? And they are?"

She grinned a wide smile, "Looks really good in a tux; should wear nice clothes more often." Shadow simply laughed.

* * *

><p>Although they hadn't seen the park once since the announcement of the prom, Shadow and Amy had already come up with several pre-conceived notions about the dance. Shadow had believed that since it was such a small town, the dance was going to be mediocre at best and rather forgettable altogether. Amy had believed that the dance was going to be a wonderful and magical event filled with splendor, music, and lots of fun. Both of their notions were blown out of the water as soon as they saw the park.<p>

There were lights shooting out into the sky shining as far as the eye could see; beautiful canopies decorated in long strands of ivy and silky fabrics of purple, gold, and yellow; latterns that gave off a glorious golden glowing to brighten up the air; helpers dressed in elegant costumes, each of which carrying either a tray of soda or small but fancy sandwiches… it left them breathless. Shadow out of surprise, of course, and Amy out of pure excitement. Everything looked absolutely brilliant and positively perfect, and at the moment, Amy couldn't contain her enthusiasm. Without another moment, Amy grabbed Shadow by the wrist and told him, "Come on!" And with that, she ran as fast as she could, Shadow following behind effortlessly.

The entrance itself was wonderfully decorated and majestic in its own way. There was a large archway decorated with the ivy and fabrics, holding up a beautifully crafted sign that read, "_Happily Ever After." _Just past the archway there were two helpers, each of them holding a microphone to welcome and introduce the guests with. Once Amy's gaze met them, her eyes lit up, and Shadow nearly swallowed. Was she going to—?

There was no time to think or even ask her the question, though, for Amy had already dragged him over to the line. A few couples stood in front of them; two mice, a panda and a tiger, one particularly fancy and nicely kept up dog with a rather scruffy and wild looking mutt...

"Shadow, come on!" The hedgehog blinked once and looked at Amy. "It's our turn!"

The two walked arm in arm as they moved through the arch. Something much brighter than amusement shined on Amy's face as they walked and it made Shadow smile as well. Seeing her happy was something that he simply loved. When she was smiling, he found that it was rather difficult to wear a frown… nearly impossible, in fact! And even if he could, she always did her best to wipe it off his face, sometimes literally.

He smiled wider at the thought, glancing up at the two helpers that had been standing by the arch. They were siblings, no doubt; perhaps twins, even. And such interesting twins they were too; their fur had the pattern of a tiger's fur, but it was a much lighter color, and the male appeared to have a bit of a mane growing in. What were they? Ah yes, they were ligers.

The male smiled at the couple, and his sister did the same. "Welcome to our 'Happily Ever After' prom!" He exclaimed, holding the microphone out to Amy. "What's your name?"

Amy grinned at him, "Amy Rose."

Then the female held her microphone out to Shadow, "And you?"

He smirked and folded his arms. "Shadow."

"Well Amy, Shadow, I hope that you enjoy your time here at our community prom!" The male told them, "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask Leo," He pointed to himself, "Or Leah." He told them, pointing to his sister. "We'll be happy to assist!"

Both Shadow and Amy nodded at the two, and Amy smiled wide. "Thank you!" She exclaimed, grabbing Shadow by the arm. With one strong pull, she dragged him out to the crowd, laughing the entire way. When it came to how Amy felt, excitement was a drastic understatement.

And to make matters even better, the entire crowd was bursting with those same euphoric feelings. The chatter and laugher was as present as the oxygen in the air, and so was the pleasant aura of people who were enjoying themselves. There were smiles on all of their faces and giggles at their lips, and for some of them, a song bursting through the air that they could sing along to. It made Amy's heart race.

As soon as she reached the crowd of happy dancing people, Amy looked at Shadow and smiled wide. Then without another thought, she began dancing. It looked rather silly and out of place considering that most of the people there were simply standing there and talking, but at that moment she simply didn't care. She was there to have fun, no matter what the cost.

But it was more than obvious that a certain black hedgehog was rather hesitant to do so. As Amy continued to dance, she couldn't help but notice that Shadow had yet to take his hands out of his pockets and actually move. "Shadow, come on! You can't come to a dance and not dance!"

He smirked, "Can't I?" Shadow paused to look around at the rest of the crowd, "It looks like everyone else is doing that."

"Maria and Shaun aren't, and I'm not either!" And of course, when Shadow turned to look at his sister and her boyfriend, he saw them dancing and laughing together. "And I'm not going to dance by myself. I'll look silly if I do!"

Shadow merely grinned again. "What if you already do?"

Amy froze in her spot and narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, I see how it is. If that's how you're going to play, then I give you no choice! You must dance for real. No standing in place and waving your arms around: you've got to do your good dancing!"

For a moment, Shadow stared at her in disbelief, but it was only half serious. "You can't be serious. I'm not—"

"Shadow, you're the one that asked me to a dance, not the other way around! Do you know what that means?" He shook his head. "That means that you're obligated to dance. You have no choice in this matter! And even if you did and you decided not to dance, I'd probably tell your mom that you won't dance with me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You'd tattle on me? That sounds like something an elementary-age child would do."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Is afraid to dance around others because he's scared that he'll ruin manly image."

"Oh shut it."

The girl merely laughed at him. "Admit it Shadow the Hedgehog! You're afraid to have fun! Or perhaps, you're afraid to have fun in front of others? Either way, if you refuse to dance, it's your lose!"

"I'm not afraid, I just don't…" But the hedgehog quickly stopped, because he knew that no matter what he'd say, he'd just end up digging himself a deeper hole. To put it simply, he knew one thing and thing alone at that moment, and it was that Amy was right. So at that moment, he had only a few options, but given the fact that Amy was standing in front of him with her arms folded together, he quickly realized how untrue that was. He had one choice if he wanted to make her happy.

And finally after a few moments of thinking, Shadow let out a heavy sigh. "Fine."

Amy smiled a wide grin at his words, "Great! Then let's—"

But Shadow's malicious smile caught her words in her throat, and she suddenly found that she was unable to speak, especially since he had suddenly appeared directly in front of her. "But if I am laughed at, I'm just going to let you know that it will be on your head."

For an entire second, she thought that he was serious and that her life was going to end right then and there. Then he cracked a smile and instantly, she felt her body calm itself. She laughed, "Then let's dance! So long as you don't… enact revenge on me for it later."

"Enact?"

"Silence Shadow! There is a good song playing, and I have to dance to it!"

"And apparently, so do I." With that, they danced.

And to Amy's surprise, it took less than two minutes for members of the crowd to start watching the two. It nearly made her jump when she realized such and she almost stopped dead in her tracks, but Shadow's sudden, "Keep it up!" Made her continue. So without another thought, she did. She let her instincts take over and memories of dance class from years ago flood her mind, and suddenly, she wasn't simply dancing. She was flying.

Each movement came as easily as breathing and as smoothly as the flowing of water. How had she not done this in so long? How on Mobius had she forgotten how much she loved dancing? Although she was slightly rusty from a lack of practice, she found that the memories were still as fresh as could be. To put it simply, she felt right at home.

After a few minutes of dancing she decided to take a glance at Shadow and when she did, she was surprised to see how flawless his dancing was. Everything was so smooth when he moved, and he never once made even the smallest mistake. Simply perfect. She found herself staring for a few more moments before she decided at once that she was going to go all out. He wasn't the only one who knew what he was doing.

And before she could even do anything about it, the two were locked in a dance-off of epic proportions, each taking separate turns to display their own moves. For Amy, she had years of practice and toning her skills on her side; for Shadow, he had natural talent and the experience of using his abilities in countless battle. Who was to win? Simply watching the two told nothing about who was to win.

So instead of thinking it over, Amy simply kept moving, and Shadow did the same. Sometimes Amy would spin and spin and spin, and sometimes, Shadow would do a flip or two, and when they did, they were met with what felt like endless cheering. Their cries only increased the speed of Amy's heartbeat and the power of the adrenaline rushing through her blood. Each time their cheers ended, their dancing increased in intensity and speed, which only wowed the crowd further. By the time Amy had finally run out of energy, she had felt like she had been moving at the speed of sound.

And miraculously, their battle had somehow ended on the final beat of the fifth song. It was as if the entire thing had been choreographed with how well it had ended, and it resulted in the crowd cheering once again. It made Amy smile an exhausted grin. She was only going to smile, but the grip of Shadow's hand in hers made her blush too. He was suddenly holding her hand in the air and smiling at the crowd, which made her raise her eyebrows in surprise. Then he turned to her and smiled. Her heart was sent racing. How could he be so smiley? Wasn't he usually embarrassed to be seen dancing in front of others? She had no time to ask him because suddenly he bowed so she instead of asking, she stayed silent and bowed along with him.

Once they were done and their "fans" had dispersed, the two headed over to the refreshment table. Amy took several large gulps of punch when there, while Shadow only took one. It was when she finished though, that she finally spoke. "Is an amazing dancer no matter what anyone thinks. Is an awesome opponent in a dance battle, and is almost impossible to win against. Can dance, battle, or run forever; has an amazing amount of stamina. Also doesn't have to eat or drink a lot to feel better."

Shadow merely raised an eyebrow at her words and smirked as he took another sip of his drink. "One of the advantages of being the ultimate, I suppose."

"You suppose?" He simply shrugged, which made her roll her eyes. "You're weird. You know that, right?"

Shadow chuckled, "If I wasn't would I still be me?"

She hummed, "I guess not. But still, you're a weird-o. Remember that, Shadow."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you're still considered to be stranger than I am."

"Naively believes that Amy is weirder than him and simply won't accept that he is the ultimate weird-o."

Shadow laughed that time, "Amy, you are entertaining to listen to." Amy smiled sheepishly at his words, and he smiled back. "You make me laugh." And suddenly, Amy found her heart leaping and skipping beats. She suppressed the undeniable grin that was finding its way onto her face as Shadow nodded. "I'm going to go talk to Maria for a moment. I'll be right back."

She nodded silently, watching intently as he disappeared into the crowd of dancing Mobians. As soon as he was no longer visible she pulled out the glass rose, her breath careful and light. It was in full bloom; shining and reflecting the light of the air in a splendid fashion that left her without words. He was happy; he had really been enjoying himself so far. The thought made Amy's smile grow and her heart began to race.

The fact that he was happy made her feel good by itself, but the fact that she had been able to help him with that joy… it made her feel like she was on top of the world. Making Shadow smile and laugh had been something that she had grown to love, and something she always wanted to do. When she saw him laugh, she felt as her own pains and hardships didn't matter. She felt as if—as if—making him smile—she really felt—her heart stopped at once because suddenly, she realized something. She recognized what she was feeling.

Her heart began to race wildly in her chest, and she found her eyes widening as she tightened the grip on the rose in one hand and her plastic cup in the other. There had only been one other who she had been so… so… what was the word? The speed of her breathing increased once it hit her, and she suddenly found herself unable to move. Had Amy…. had she fallen for him?

The thought scared her at first for some reason, and she desperately tried to push it away. Such a ridiculous accusation! Shadow was nothing more than a friend, a best friend at most. Sure, she had admitted that she had a mild crush on him, and she had often tried to make him laugh, and she liked the fact that when he smiled, it was often a quiet and subtle smirk… her heart froze and she swallowed as her train of thought came to a screeching halt. In her attempts to prove to herself that it wasn't true, she had only reinforced the idea in concrete.

Her grip tightened once again on the cup, and in a desperate hope not to break it (if that was even possible), Amy put the rose away. So what if she really did like Shadow? What if it was more than a crush? The idea was a scary one to her, and for a moment, she felt like throwing it away and never bringing it up again. There was no way she was going to fall in love with someone after having her heart shattered only a few weeks ago, no way on Mobius she'd go through something like that again!

But at the same time she knew that she couldn't deny it. She really cared for Shadow, and there was no way she would get around that. Denying something as powerful and simple as the truth that was shaking her body and ruling her world was impossible. It was like saying that the sky had never really there—it made her look like a fool for denying its existence. No matter what it was going to be there, and nothing could have changed that fact.

So instead of pushing the idea away, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes and admitted it to herself. Somehow along her journey, Amy had fallen for him. Head over heels maybe, or perhaps in a much more subtle fashion, Amy had fallen in love with him. She couldn't say how or even why, but something about his subtle smile, the way he'd tease her, the way that he was always so cautious with his words, the fact that he was so quiet and thoughtful... she loved it.

She found her own smile growing and her grasp on her plastic loosening as her thoughts began to soften and turn sweet. Even the sourest parts of him seemed wonderful to her as she rocked back and forth on her heels. He was like the nighttime to her world of day and innocence and unlike so many, she didn't see the dark in him… she saw the stars. She saw a future of possibilities and happiness with him, even if they were only ever friends. As long as Shadow was happy, she was going to be happy, and nothing was going to change that.

"Amy," The girl's heart paused for a moment as she turned to see—speak of the devil—Shadow standing there with a soft smile. "Still there?"

She stared blankly at the hedgehog before an over-powering euphoric grin took over. "Of course! And I'm ready to dance! In fact—" One moment was stolen for listening to the song, "We can do the dance to this one!" Amy exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm as she rushed onto the dance floor.

Shadow rolled his eyes, but he smiled nonetheless. "It's not like I don't hear Party Rock Anthem every day anyway…"

"Oh stop your whining and just have fun!"

"Who said I was whining?"

"Now you're just trying to look smart. Instead, why don't you show me how well you can do this dance. Have you ever seen the video?"

He nodded, "I think so. Once a few weeks ago, I believe."

She let out a "ha" and smiled. "And let me guess… you still have it memorized?"

Shadow merely smirked. "Need you even ask?"

Amy simply smiled in return.

* * *

><p>When Amy looked up at one of the various clocks throughout the dance for the first time since she arrived, she couldn't help but cry out dramatically, "Time <em>does <em>fly when you're having fun!"

And of course, Shadow's train of thought had been radically derailed, so he had to turn to her in his chair with a perplexed expression and ask her, "What?"

She stared for a moment before smiling at the melodramatic nature of her own words. "I was just—it just seems like we haven't been—just look at the time! Sheesh Shadow, it feels like we only just got here, and now look! It's already almost time to go."

Shadow looked away towards the clock for a moment before humming and turning back. "Does it make you sad?"

She shrugged, "I little… but not too bad. It's not like I'm devastated, I just wish that it lasted a little longer."

He hummed, "Well, we have been here for more than three hours. I'd say that's pretty long."

"I know, I know. I just like long dances." She told him, "Besides, I love socializing with people, if you haven't noticed."

Shadow smirked and chuckled once, "I have. It would be hard not to."

Amy giggled once at his words again, but just as she was about to speak, she heard the sound of someone clearing his throat. "Excuse me," She turned to see Shaun, dressed in his prim and proper tux, "May I have this dance?"

The pink hedgehog took a moment to glance at Shadow, who merely smiled at her. She turned back to him, "Of course!" And without another moment's notice, she took his hand and walked back out to the dance floor with him.

"Hey," And a few seconds of watching the two walk out, Shadow heard the easily recognizable voice of his sister. "Care to dance with me?"

Shadow smiled and stood up, "So long as no one asks why I'm dancing with my sister, I have no problem with it."

Maria smirked, "They won't. No need to worry, you weird-o." Shadow simply laughed, grabbing one of her hands, and placing his other on her waist as she put her free hand on his shoulder.

"So, have you been enjoying your time here with Amy?" Maria asked after about ten seconds of dancing had passed.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Maria shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe she steps on your feet when you dance?" Shadow simply stared at her, and Maria sighed, "Okay, I know she wouldn't do that, but still! I just… didn't imagine you to be the type to enjoy things like this."

The black hedgehog hummed, "Usually I'm not. In fact, this is one of the first dances I've ever been to with a date, to be honest. No, this _is_ the first dance I've ever been to with a date."

"Really?" Maria hummed, making Shadow raise an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, making sure to put emphasis on the 'a' sound.

Maria chuckled and shook her head, "Nothing, it's nothing at all!"

"Tell me or I'll step on your feet."

"How rude." She laughed, shaking her head. "I was just thinking, well wondering really, about you two. I'm sure that you've been asked on other dates before… why is it that you're saying yes to Amy? No, why did you ask Amy?"

Shadow was silent as he stared into space. "I… I guess it's because I'm comfortable around her."

"Which is another way to say you like her. A lot."

If Shadow would have taken a drink of water at that moment, he would have done the perfect spit take. "Excuse me?"

"Don't even try to deny it Shadow the Hedgehog, because I've seen it before." She told him as she glanced about, making sure that Amy was out of hearing range. "And it's not exactly hard to tell with you."

Shadow simply stared at her for a few moments. Then finally after what seemed like forever, he sighed. "What gave it away?"

She laughed, "What didn't, Shadow? I'm just surprised that she hasn't found out yet."

The hedgehog sighed, shaking his head in the process. "Promise you won't tell her."

Maria smirked, "I won't. Of course, I might have slipped once, earlier…"

The hedgehog's gaze transformed to one of annoyance, and Maria laughed. "I'm kidding Shadow! Goodness, can't you take a joke?"

Letting his shoulders relax, Shadow took in a deep breath. "I just don't know. How to act around her, I mean, since I do like her, and all. It's not like I have any experience with these kind of things, and I'm not exactly the friendliest person you'll ever meet either."

"But you are around her." She told him, wearing a semi-serious, semi-silly smile. "Shadow, it's as simple as this; just be yourself! Honestly, if you think that she'll suddenly hate you if you do anything out of the ordinary, then you don't know Amy!" Shadow looked away, his brow furrowed together in thought. "Shadow, the thing about Amy that you need to know is that no matter what, she's going to accept you for who you are. It's as plain and simple as that!"

The song finally reaching its climax, Shadow sighed and nodded. "I know, I'm just…"

"Don't be. She's your friend, and she always will be. Trust me." And with the song finally over, she took her hand off his shoulder and released the grasp on his other hand. "And have fun! Otherwise, I'll have to kill you."

"Heaven forbid."

Maria simply laughed, but before she could get another word in, Amy and Shaun reappeared. "Hello everyone! I have returned with the sheep."

Shaun laughed, "You know, I _do_ have a name."

"I know, but the sheep is much easier to remember." Shaun merely smirked and rolled his eyes as he walked over to Maria and lead her off to a large group of people. "Besides, I think I should concentrate on remembering this guy's name. Who are you again?"

Shadow smirked, "I have no idea."

She hummed for a moment as she tapped her foot, staring intently at him as she did. "I think you're Shadow. Maybe… or maybe you're Sonic!"

"Not that loser!" Shadow exclaimed, making Amy laugh. Smiling yet again, Shadow chuckled. "Was it really that funny?"

"No, I just thought you were going to say faker… I don't know why I laughed, I just did." Amy told him, standing up straight. "Maybe it's just how you said it."

"How was the pronunciation funny?"

"Asking me at this point will not help you, Shadow. Instead, how about we dance?"

Shadow smiled, his ears perking up so he could hear the words of the song. "It's another slow song."

"So? It gives us time to talk!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hand. "Right?"

For some reason that he couldn't fathom, his heart skipped a beat at that. He was frozen in place for a second or two before nodding. "Right." And without another thought, he carefully placed his other hand on her waist as she reached up and put her free hand on his shoulder. Then, the two started dancing.

And as they began to dance, Shadow realized that he could find no words to speak. His mind was racing too fast for even him to register everything, and his heart was beating too wildly for him to catch up. But why? It was just Amy for crying out loud, even if he did like her. He had never felt so nervous around her before, so why was it so different now? Heck, he'd never felt so nervous in his life! Facing an army of Eggman's soldiers would have been more calming than dancing with her at the moment.

So why? Why had his legs started morphing into jelly? Why did he find it so hard to look in her in the eye and not suddenly turn red? Maria's words continue to echo throughout his head, "Shadow, the thing about Amy that you need to know is that no matter what, she's going to accept you for who you are. It's as plain and simple as that!" But they simply wouldn't register; nothing inside him would let him accept those words as the truth. Why? He knew Amy would never push him away, so why did the truth that was ruling his world scare him?

And as he danced with her, twirled her around and spun in circles, he could feel the warmth fill him from that truth. Her presence alone—her smile—lit up his entire world. Every time she asked him, "Are you alright?" He felt as if for one moment, everything was right. He felt as if even though there was bad in the world and even though the evil would never be fully snuffed out, there was still hope enough for him to know that the world was good.

So no, the question was no longer why, but when. When exactly had he fallen in love with her? He took in a sharp breath at the thought, for it had been the first time he had admitted it. When on their journey had he grown to care for her so much, someone so full of innocence and love for others? When had he started to care for someone more than he ever dared care for himself? Someone so young… still a child, in the world's eye, to be accurate. When, when, when…

But the thought made him smile as he danced, and she smiled back at him. He didn't dare say a word as they continued to twirl around the floor, and she stayed silent as well. At the moment, it was simply two friends enjoying each others presence, and that was all that mattered. As long as one was the happy, the other was going to be happy too.

Once the song finished and they started to speak again, the rest of the dance passed rather quickly. They played some dubstep, named the prom king and queen (with Maria and Shaun as the first attendants), and when the last song finished, the entire crowd cried out in surprise as rain started to pour down. They laughed and yelped out in excitement as they rushed to their vehicles and homes, and as Shadow and Amy ran along with the family, they too found themselves unable to stop laughing.

* * *

><p>Ah heck, sorry it took so long to update, you guys! Life has been crazy, as always (and I've been watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, so I've been a bit distracted). But hey, it's here! :D I hope you guys enjoyed it. :) I had a lot of fun with this one! And hey, it's long too. :D<p>

I'm pretty sure they were dancing to Gangham Style sometime during the prom... :D


	24. Like Butterflies but Better

** Chapter 24: Like Butterflies but Better**

By the time Shadow, Amy, and Maria had arrived at Henry and Rita's house (after dropping off Shaun), the three were soaked to the bone. The two girls were shivering in their spots like a Chihuahua—that had, well done anything, really—and if it hadn't been for the fact that Shadow was there to assist them, the two probably would have earned themselves a pleasant case of hyperthermia.

"Chao ignite," As soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden warmth filled the air of Henry and Rita's house, and the two girls sighed in relief. Though their dresses were drenched and their hair was still sopping wet, it felt good to have at least some heat there to keep them from shivering to death.

"So," Maria sighed after a few moments of silence prevailed in the house, "who gets to take a shower first?"

Shadow spoke, "I'm fine with waiting, so you two can go ahead."

"Sounds good to me!" Maria exclaimed, rushing off without another word. "The faster I can warm up and get into some comfy pajamas, the better!"

Shadow and Amy smiled as Maria did her best to run in the soaked gown, her run more of a waddle than anything else. Once she rounded the corner, the two looked at each other and smiled. For a moment, they were quiet for they had no idea of what they could have said. Then with a smile, Amy cried out, "Has awesome chaos powers when it comes to warming up!"

The black hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "You, my friend, have a way with words that is unlike any other. It's so… sophisticated."

Amy narrowed her eyes at him in response, "That's another sneaky way of insulting me, isn't it?"

"Teasing is the appropriate word in this case, Amy." He said, smiling as he patted her head. "Besides, I would never insult you. I'm much too classy to fall under the category of 'those who ridicule others to make themselves feel better.' It's much too over-rated in today's world, and there are far too many people who are a part of it."

The girl stared at him. "You lost me." So she sighed and folded her arms, "Often leaves Amy in the dust with his extravagant style and speech."

"You'll catch on one day, I promise." He said, smiling again. "And if you don't, I'll talk slowly. Heck, I'll even use small words if you like!"

She laughed and pushed him away, "Oh shut up you—you—you poophead!"

"What tasteful insults!"

Amy laughed harder at that, "Now you're just being mean!"

He chuckled in return, "I try, Amy. I really do."

"I know you do!" She sighed, smiling as she looked at him. "I'm just trying to figure out why. Why on Mobius do you have to be so… eeeeviiiillll?"

"Please tell me you didn't just make a reference to SpongeBob."

"I could, but that would be lying, now wouldn't it?"

Shadow merely pulled his hand up to his face, still laughing in-between his words. "Sometimes Amy, you amaze me."

"Only sometimes?" She asked.

"Every day."

"Much better!" She exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips as she puffed out her chest, standing triumphantly as if she had just won the greatest prize in the world. "Now you know for sure that I'm awesome!"

Shadow stared at her for a moment before shaking his head as he smiled. "Don't you still need to go get in the shower?"

Amy nodded, "Yeah, I do." She stood still for a moment though, as if she was wondering on what exactly was necessary for her to head over to the bathroom.

"So… are you going to go or what?"

She blinked, "Right! Sorry, I was just spacing out. Thinking…" The girl paused again as if to gather her thoughts, then swallowed and continued. "I just wanted to say… thanks, Shadow."

Shadow raised his eyebrows, though he didn't appear too surprised. "For?"

"Asking me to the dance, being such a great sport… being my friend." Amy smiled at him and without another word, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I can't even tell you how much that means to me."

A smile found its place on Shadow's face, and ever so carefully, Shadow returned the hug. "You're welcome Amy."

The embrace lasted for only a few more moments before they pulled away and smiled at each other. Amy took another turn to talk, "Is an awesome friend that Amy will always be thankful for, no matter what." And with that, she turned and left for the shower as Shadow smiled to himself.

The day after prom was much quieter in comparison to the previous days spent at Henry and Rita's house. Tina was off at her friend's house for a day of much needed girl talk, Maria was off at her job (which surprised Shadow and Amy quite a bit since she had never once mentioned having one), and Shaun was also spending the day at work. Henry also left for his job early in the morning, which left the total hedgehog count in the house at low number of three. And since Rita was using the entire day to craft a series of delicious baked goods, that left Amy and Shadow as the only ones in the house with nothing to do.

The two started their day off with a routine game of, "What do you want to do?" before finally settling on the one activity that would not only make their day less boring, but also make them feel better about themselves in every way possible; a Twilight-a-thon. Which in more complex terms, quickly turned into a game of, "How many sparkly vampire jokes can I make in each movie?" for Amy. Needless to say, Shadow did not approve (though that didn't stop Amy from trying harder).

"Say it. Out loud." The pale, sickly, sparkly vampire said to the boring, expressionless teenage girl.

The girl on the screen opened her mouth to speak, but instead of doing so, she just stood there with her mouth open for a few moments. Was opening her mouth a dangerous thing to do? What if she actually talked? Would she explode the moment she uttered a single syllable? Shadow shot Amy an angry glare as a mischievous smile took over her face. "Don't you even—"

"Tinker Bell!" Amy cried out as Bella spoke, making Shadow growl once again.

"Must your ruin this for me?" Shadow exclaimed as Amy laughed, quickly doing her best to suppress the giggles. "The fish slapping stuff was bad enough, but seriously Amy! Even this part?"

Amy, who had been laughing for quite some time at that point, wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye. "Sorry, sorry! It's just so fun, okay? If you were me, you'd understand! Plus if you'd actually stayed around to watch that Bad Lip Reading video, you might have actually understood the joke."

Shadow waved his hand at the air as if he was shooing her away. "I understood the joke; I just didn't think it was that funny."

The pink hedgehog rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her head in the process. "Doesn't like having his favorite series made fun of, especially Twilight."

"I'm going to get you for this Amy Rose, I really will. You'll never even see it coming."

Amy laughed, "You just told me about it. Don't you think that's a bit of a… oh I don't know, a dead give-away?"

"You'd be surprised with how sneaky I can be."

The girl's smile widened. "As sneaky as a sparkly vampire?"

At that point in time, Shadow pulled the weirdest face Amy had ever seen. Never once in her life had she ever seen someone stick their bottom lip out so far… never once in her lifetime. She found herself staring with an expression of surprise for a few moments before suddenly he shot up out of his seat, wearing a half serious and half joking expression on his face. "Okay, now you're going to get it!"

The teen squealed in response to his words, and with a jump, she did her best to get up off the couch in an attempt to escape. He was much faster, though, and he quickly grabbed her by the arm, smiling a malicious grin. Just by glancing at it, Amy knew exactly what he was planning.

"Don't you even dare!" But as she had expected, he didn't listen to her. Instead, he continued on with his evil plan and began tickling her, which made her squeal even louder. She laughed out loud, "Stop it!" but he just cackled along with her and continued tickling her. Eventually, she stopped trying to fight it, and eventually just giggled along instead.

When he finally stopped, Amy had tears rolling down her cheeks. She had laughed so hard that her sides hurt, and her cheeks had turned bright red. "Sheesh, Shadow!" When she finally spoke, here words were filled with giggles and chuckles, "You are insane!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "I tickle you for five minutes, and what you learn from it is that I have a mental incapacity to deal with everyday ordeals?"

Amy simply stared at him. Then, she laughed. "I have no idea what you just said."

The black hedgehog chuckled and shook his head, "I should have guessed." And then, it was quiet again.

It was a mutual somewhat awkward silence, and for some reason, it made them both blush. Having recognized and accepted their feelings of each other (unknowingly to one another) at the dance the night before, the two were suddenly very conscious of how they acted around one another. What if Amy secretly hated the way Shadow always went into too much detail when he spoke? What if Shadow found the sound of Amy's laugh annoying? The quiet ruled until finally, they both tried speaking at the same time.

"How many words—"

"Would you like to—"

They both paused and stared again for a few seconds. Then, Shadow motioned toward her, "You first."

Amy nodded and carefully spoke, as if she was afraid he'd smack her if she worded anything wrong. "How many words have I done so far? You know, for the thousand words challenge?"

Shadow raised his eyebrows and hummed, folding his arms as he reflected back on the words she had told him so far; four hundred and three, six hundred and ninety seven, "Nine hundred and seventy-two."

The pink hedgehog's eyes widened at that, and so did her smile. "No way! Am I really that close?" The black hedgehog simply smiled and nodded, and Amy squealed out in excitement. Shadow's smile widened as a result. "That's so cool! Looks like I'll be getting that cookie before too long, huh?"

Rather than speaking, Shadow nodded again, still wearing that subtle grin as Amy smiled back at him. They continued gawking at each other like that for a few moments and just as it was about to become "awkward" again, Amy spoke up once more. "Shadow, what was it you wanted to tell me, again?"

He stared for what felt life forever—as if he was trying to figure out what she was talking about—before he jumped in recognition, "Oh, right." And he took in a deep breath. For some reason, he had stopped making eye-contact with her when he talked, and it honestly bugged Amy. Was there something that was annoying him?

"Amy, I was wondering if you'd… well, if you'd like to… if you wanted to… oh, how on Mobius do I do this?" The girl stood up straight at that point, swallowing as she watched him. What exactly was causing him to him to struggle with his words? Growling, Shadow shook his head and looked Amy directly in the eye. "Amy, would you like to go on a date with me? I mean, not a date, but yes it would be a date, but it would kind of be a hang out, but it's still a date? Like a picnic or something? Um, yeah, like that…"

For a long time, Amy didn't know what to say, especially when Shadow's cheeks turned red. "I… uh, I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine! I was just wondering if you'd like to… uh, well, maybe hang out just the two of us, like as friends…" And at that point, he completely trailed off, and for some reason, that made Amy smile. And then, it made her laugh.

Shadow's eyes widened in surprise at that, and his cheeks burned even redder. He looked up at her again and opened his mouth to speak, but once again, Amy beat him to it. "I'd love to Shadow. When do you want to do it?"

Surprise ruled Shadow's expression before a smile quickly returned. "Does tomorrow sound good?"

"Tomorrow sounds great."

And the two smiled at each other again. Then, a mischievous grin took over Amy's face, and a pit of dread was born in Shadow's stomach. "Please don't—"

"Let's finish our movie now, shall we, Shadow?"

Shadow rolled his eyes and sighed. "Heaven help me."

Amy giggled in response, and Shadow smiled back. He had a feeling that Maria was going to be very excited when he told her what he had just done…

* * *

><p>Oh my goodness, I'm sorry it took so long for me to update! Life has been absolutely crazy lately, and I haven't had much time to write... but I finally got it! The next one won't take as long, and that is a promise!<p>

A shorter chapter because last time's chapter was big, and so will next time's chapter. I hope you guys will be looking forward to it...

And thanks for all the reviews, faves, and alerts!


	25. Beloved

** Chapter 25: Beloved**

Amy didn't quite know why, but she was nervous about the date. No, nervous didn't quite fit in the situation, for it was much too calm of a term. Rather than nervous, she felt scared for some reason. She was utterly terrified of the thought—the mere image—of her messing up the date and through it somehow, the friendship that Shadow and she had built over their journey. What if she screwed up and Shadow didn't want anything to do with her? What if she did something that would make him hate her? What if, what if, what if—

Growling, Amy shook her head. How ridiculous! How absolutely insane! How totally and incredibly stupid of her! Even after everything the two of them had been through, _everything _they had both learned, Amy _still _didn't have enough faith in Shadow! She still somehow managed to believe that he found her annoying, even after every little event that had proved that he didn't! What on Mobius was wrong with her? What on Mobius was her—?

"Amy, there is no way I can do your make-up if you keep making faces at yourself like that."

The girl froze in her place at the sound of Maria's voice, and within an instant, she was dragged back to reality (or rather, chucked back into it). She took a moment to glance up carefully, shrugging apologetically as her eyes met Maria. "Sorry. Lost in the moment."

Maria simply huffed, though she did so jokingly, as she was in a great mood. "I don't care if you're lost in the rain forest Amy; if you want to look nice, you're going to have to keep a straight face, alright?"

Amy quickly nodded, "Sorry." And with that, she stayed still.

As Maria carefully applied a light layer of eye shadow to Amy's eyelids, she smiled softly. "It's okay. I know you're nervous, and you tend to act… oddly when you're nervous."

"Only slightly, and I'm not as nervous as you think I am."

Chuckling to herself, Maria shook her head. "I don't believe you one bit, Amy. I know just about as well as Shadow does when it comes to how you act when you're nervous, and let me tell you, I think you'd be calmer right now if you were jumping out of an airplane without a parachute into a valley of burning thorns."

Silence taking over for just a second, Amy nodded once again and hummed. "You're just about spot on."

"Just about?"

Slumping her shoulders in defeat, Amy sighed. "Okay, so you _are_ spot on, big deal."

Chuckling, Maria grabbed for the small pack of eye-shadow once again, narrowing her eyes as she leaned in close to apply a bit more to Amy's eyelid. "I have a feeling that that added big deal was merely put in for dramatic effect."

"Even so, Maria, I'm as nervous as heck and I feel like throwing up. So yes, you were right, I'm a nervous wreck, and I just _know _that I'm going to mess this up."

Rolling her eyes, the yellow hedgehog shook her head. "If you say that one more time, I'm going to tie you this chair and ruin your make-up, which would be such a shame since I just finished."

"Wait, it's done? Let me see, let me see!" Amy exclaimed, her gaze whipping around furiously in an attempt to find any mirror in the room. "Ugh, why don't you have any mirrors in here? Where is the—oh, right." She smiled sheepishly when she remembered about the large vanity mirror that had been behind her the entire time, but the half-nervous grin quickly melted away when she saw herself in the mirror. Within half a second, she was unable to find any words to describe it.

The yellow hedgehog however, had an easier time responding to the silence. A smug smile on her lips and an aura of achievement and pride surrounding her, Maria folded her arms and laughed as Amy stared at her reflection. "Well?"

It took Amy a few long moments to find the right words. "It's… it's perfect!" She exclaimed, an uncontrollable smile finding its way onto her face. "It's not too much, it's not too little; just the right amount of accents here and there!" Spinning in her spot, she grinned at Maria. "How did you do it?"

Placing her hands on her hips, Maria smiled and flipped her hair off to the side. "Years of practice, my friend."

"Right! I forgot how old you—I did _not _mean it like that, I swear." Amy suddenly swallowed, throwing her hands up as if she expected Maria to attack her on the spot.

Her left eye twitching in a half-joking, half-I'm-going-to-beat-you-senseless sort of way, Maria simply smiled her sugar coated grin once again. "Since it's such a special day for you, I'm going to let you go for that one, Amy. Just remember that if you say it again, I'm seriously going to beat the living tar out of you, and it's not going to be pretty."

Amy merely stared wide-eyed at her friend, shivering jokingly once her mini speech was over. "You're really scary when you want to be."

Maria let out a simple "ha" and nodded. "That's the beauty of forever being fourteen; well, physically anyway. I'm frozen in the scariest state known to Man and Mobian; the teenage girl." Amy laughed at that statement, and Maria's smile widened into a fully fledged grin as a result.

"Well," Amy breathed, her spirit light and happy, "If I'm the scariest thing alive, then I know one thing for sure."

"And that is?"

A soft smile on her lips, Amy looked at Maria hopefully. "I can definitely handle a date with the Ultimate Life Form."

* * *

><p>He wasn't wearing any fancy clothes, hadn't put on any pricey cologne, hadn't even taken a moment to examine himself in the mirror to make sure he was socially acceptable for the day; and yet he felt as if he had never looked—or felt—better. It was the very way he was holding himself that made his confidence bloom, the quiet joy booming throughout his entire being, and the utter and uncontainable excitement (goodness, he felt like a child) that made his outer appearance so appealing. Even those that weren't sharing his mood agreed with him in that aspect; the happier he was, which was still odd, knowing Shadow, the much better he looked, and the more enjoyable it was to be around him.<p>

Of course, this rule was generally true to most living things, but for Shadow, it rung even louder in truth. As someone who had once been known as the "grumpiest thing alive," even the slightest smirk of sarcasm or domination was something monumental, since it acted as proof that he could at least grin once in awhile. In his current state of mind, though, it was almost rare for him not to at least smile once during the day.

It was funny, in a way, almost ironic. If someone two years ago would have seen him as he was presently, they would have questioned him on the spot, "Who are you and what have you done with Shadow the Hedgehog?" The very thought made him smirk and nearly chuckle to himself. How amusing, the situation really was. It nearly—

"What are you smiling at?"

Shadow blinked once at the sound of his mother's voice, which had effectively cut through his brain-storming and derailed his train of thought. His eyes instantly shot back at her to where she was sitting, smiling in her chair with her arms neatly folded over her chest. Her head was tilted slightly, an aura of fake curiosity hanging over her as she stared at him.

Taking a moment to rearrange and gather his thoughts, Shadow sighed and took in a deep breath. "Just about, um, smiling, I believe."

She raised her eyebrows, readjusting her position in the chair at the same time as she smirked. "Smiling?" Nearly laughing, she nodded and unfolded her arms. "I can see why. Amy is a very pretty girl—you've found quite the keeper, haven't you?"

His cheeks nearly turning red, Shadow nodded, a quiet smile resting on his lips. "Well—"

"What's this about me being pretty, Shadow the Hedgehog?"At the very sound of her voice Shadow jumped (though it was barely noticeable) and turned to her, his heart skipping a beat when his eyes found hers. "Because if you _were _saying that, you'd be spot on."

The young hedgehog before him was wearing a casual outfit of pink and yellow (which was identical to her original ensemble that she had had before Eggman's attack had ruined it) and a bright smile that easily matched it in terms of splendor. She was also sporting a bit more makeup that usual, though it definitely wasn't over-kill in her case. It was just enough to highlight her features, make her eyes pop, and leave her face with a slight glow that caught everyone's attention.

And for Shadow's case, it—somehow, miraculously—left him without words. Well, intelligent words, anyway. "You lurf neh."

Amy simply raised her eyebrows, a surprised expression over-coming her face. What on Mobius…? As soon as Shadow had realized what he had done, his eyes grew wide and he quickly put his hand over his face in shame. Oh, if he was going to talk like this the entire time, it was going to be a veeeeeerrrry long day, much less, a long date.

Luckily for him, though, he quickly rediscovered that Amy was very forgiving when it came to verbal screw-ups. She started laughing soon after he had finished talking, and the moment he heard her fist giggle, Shadow felt his spirits lighten. He carefully looked back up, smiling softly as he listened to her light, happy, and carefree laugh.

"I don't get you Shadow, I really don't." Amy chuckled, holding her sides as she did her best to stand up straight. "Can really tie his tongue in a knot sometimes; needs others to take his shovel from him."

Raising an eyebrow, Shadow folded his arms and smirked, the embarrassment having already melted away. "Take my shovel?"

"It means that you're digging yourself a grave of shame, my friend." Maria explained as she rounded the corner and entered the room, carrying a large basket on one arm, and cell phone in the other hand. "So in Layman's terms… you failed."

"Epically!" Amy added, quickly receiving one of those "looks" from Shadow as a result, which made her laugh nervously in turn. "What? I was just jumping the bandwagon! Or… is it _on _the bandwagon. I don't know. I really just don't know."

"That's okay; I won't judge you for it. Well, I won't judge you too harshly. Yet."

"Shadow, do you even have a heart?"

Shadow merely shrugged. "I don't know. I think I sold it on the black market forty-six years ago to a man from the desert."

Amy gasped dramatically, "What? Then how—"

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Guess what guys?" Both Amy and Shadow paused at the sound of Maria's voice, turning to see her holding the basket out towards both of them enthusiastically. "You guys should get going! You kind of have a date planned today, remember?"

Staring blankly for a moment at the yellow hedgehog, the two spoke in unison. "Right. Sorry." They both exchanged several looks immediately after they had finished before Shadow took the basket from her grasp and spoke again. "We'll leave. Alright?"

"Alright! I hope you two have fun!" Maria exclaimed as she walked around them, putting a hand on both of their backs. "And please, feel free to call if you need anything! Don't be out too late, don't talk to strangers, and whatever you do, don't take the cake. It is a lie."

"I'm sorry, what?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow as he quickly stored the basket away with a chaos incantation.

"No time to explain, you two need to go! So with that being said," And with that, Maria started pushing them towards the front door. "Enjoy yourselves!"

Laughing as Maria pushed them forward, Amy nodded. "We will! And don't worry about Shadow; I'll take good care of him!"

Shadow merely rolled his eyes as he opened the door for her, and within a few moments the two hedgehogs were gone. The moment they closed the door behind them, Maria turned to Rita, a smile on her face. "I hope they get married one day."

Rita smirked. "Amy's fourteen, Maria."

"I don't really care. I think they'll end up together one day, and when they do, I hope they have cute children. I would love to have cute nieces and nephews."

Rolling her eyes like Shadow had, Rita shook her head and reached for the book on the table next to her. "Whatever you say."

"Plus," Maria added as Rita opened her book, "I want plan their wedding."

Rita simply smiled and shook her head again.

* * *

><p>As soon as the two had started their walk to the spot Shadow had picked out, a very calm and recognizable aura had settled upon them. No longer did nervousness plague them like a swarm of bloody-thirsty, going-to-enact-revenge-on-you-because-you-looked-at-me-funny mosquitoes, or strike them as a very angry girlfriend would after having her new shoes dissed. No, the two felt very at home and very—surprisingly—comfortable.<p>

When Shadow thought about it, though, it made a lot of sense. This was Amy he was going on a date with for crying out loud; one of the friendliest and happiest people he had ever met. She wasn't one to make things awkward—even involuntarily—and she especially wasn't one to be rude to others. There was absolutely no way on Mobius that she'd ever hurt him, because it simply wasn't in Amy's nature. And besides; what could she have said that would have hurt him?

Amy had also fallen back on her happier state of mind, but something seemed slightly off about the atmosphere around them. Though she couldn't quite her finger on it, it seemed as if the clouds had grown darker, and the air around them colder, and it made Amy shiver. Why on Mobius did it feel as if something was going to go terribly and horribly wrong? It felt as if there was something other than bad luck preying on her and Shadow, but… what could it have been?

She shook off the idea after a few minutes of pondering, though the thought still lingered in the back of her mind as the two walked down the path of the park, talking and chatting about whatever came to mind. Hand-in-hand, they spoke of the beauty of the sunset, the simplicity of the park, their favorite flavors of ice cream, cabbage trees, the plants that were probably dead at Amy's house due to obvious neglect, and many other simple, silly things that made them laugh.

It didn't take long for the two to reach the spot Shadow had chosen, and the moment Amy saw it, her eyes lit up. The small green hill was nearly flawless in its sea of light green, the only blemish on the surface being a small tree that stood proudly by itself on the peak of the mound. The tree was covered in luscious green growth which rustled together ever so slightly in the soft breeze, making Amy smile as she glanced at Shadow.

"It's perfect, Shadow!" She told him, making him smile as she wrapped her arm around his. "How long did it take you to find it?"

Smiling, Shadow shrugged. "Not too long. About… ten minutes, fifteen tops."

"Well, it looks very nice." She told him as she looked up at the hill once again. "We'll have a lovely view of the sunset. Don't you think?"

Shadow simply nodded, glancing once at her before he spoke. "Yeah."

Amy grinned once again at Shadow, letting out a loud, "Ha!" as she tightened her grip on Shadow's arm and without a single warning, began to run up the hill. Shadow merely smirked as he sped up to match her speed, laughing when she almost tripped.

"Shut it! You can't mock me!" Amy exclaimed, making Shadow laugh.

"Can't or shouldn't, Amy?"

"Is there even a difference?" Amy asked, panting softly when she stopped at the top of the hill.

Humming, Shadow nodded, taking his arm out from Amy's grasp. "Yes there is." Shadow told her, whispering a quick chaos incantation in-between his sentences. As soon as the last syllable had been uttered, the picnic basket reappeared in his hand. "The word 'can' pertains to my physical and mental capability to do something, but the word 'should' pertains to my desire to do something. I _can _mock you no matter what you do or say, Amy Rose, but the real question presented is simple; should I mock you?"

Amy simply stared at the hedgehog in silence, as if she was trying her very hardest to figure out what to say. "When you think, does it take you forever to get to your point because your thoughts are so complicated, or do you always think like this in over-drive so it only takes a few seconds?"

Shadow merely rolled his eyes as put the basket down, pulling the picnic blanket off the top once it was steadily placed on the ground. "You ask too many questions, Amy." He told her as he grabbed two corners of the picnic blanket, flipping it up the air in an attempt to spread it quickly and carefully over the grass. His attempt failed, sadly, and the blanket crumpled to one side, making the black hedgehog growl and scowl to himself as he reached down to try yet again.

"And you don't answer enough!" Amy countered, reaching down for the other two corners of the blanket as Shadow wrapped his hands around the original two. "In my opinion, you need to be willing to answer more questions in life. You can only be an enigma for so long, you know."

Their hands gripping the corners tightly, the two hedgehogs flipped the blanket up in unison, letting in descend slowly and carefully as Shadow smirked and shook his head. "I have forever, Amy. I can be an enigma for as long as I want to."

"Not around me, you can't!" Amy exclaimed, smiling and nodding in approval at the perfection of the blanket's placement. "If you even try to be enigmatic around me, Shadow, you know as well as I do that it's not going to end well. It might just end up in major catastrophe, and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

Shadow merely rolled his eyes and shook his head as Amy plopped down on the blanket, sitting down gracefully next to her as she took in heavy breathes. "I think that you can make anything into a catastrophe if you really try hard enough, Amy."

The pink hedgehog gasped dramatically in reply to his words, and with that, she smacked his shoulder. "You cow!" She exclaimed, making Shadow laugh out loud in response. "I should smack you for that comment."

"You already did."

"Well then, I should smack you again!" She exclaimed, throwing her hand out in an attempt to hit him again, which ultimately failed when he caught her hand. When he stared at her with that signature smirk of his, she sighed and shook her head. "Maybe I won't. It's too much effort anyway."

"Good girl." Shadow laughed, patting her head shortly after he had released her hand.

Rolling her eyes, Amy simply smirked. "Just makes the sandwiches, you cow."

"I find that offensive."

"Good!" Amy cried out. "I was—"

"To cows, that is."

Shadow merely smiled at Amy as she stared at him, her gaze almost a scowl. "You make it difficult to diss you."

"I try, Amy. I really do." He told her, looking over at the picnic basket once again. A few moments were spent examining it before the light-bulb went off in his head, nearly making him jump for some reason. Turning back to Amy, he spoke. "What kind of sandwich do you want?"

"What kind of sandwiches are there?" Amy asked as she readjusted her position yet again, glancing down at her outfit—a short pink dress with a yellow ribbon that wrapped itself just above her abdomen, yellow leggings, long pink converse sneakers—before she nodded once to herself in approval.

Digging through the contents of the basket, Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Peanut butter, bologna, ham… take your pick."

Raising her eyebrows, Amy nearly laughed. "Wow! So many choices! I simply can't decide!"

Rolling his eyes, Shadow shook his head. "Just for that comment, I'm going to decide for you. You're going to eat peanut butter."

"Yay!"

"Okay, make that ham."

"Woo-hoo!"

Shadow merely smirked and shook his head. "I forget. Your optimism has no limit, does it?"

"I run on sun-light, moon-light, star-light; so long as something's shining, you can't get me down." Amy told him, "Unless, of course, puppies stopped being born. Then I'll be miserable for the rest of my life."

Shadow let out another laugh at that, and Amy smiled and laughed along as a result. After several moments of it, Shadow finally sighed and smiled. "Amy, you never stop to amaze me." He told her, taking out the two litter bottle of Sprite he had packed along in the basket.

"Good! That means I filled my quota for this month."

Raising an eyebrow yet again, Shadow smirked and spoke. "I don't know why I question you anymore."

"Me neither, Shadow. Give me a peanut butter sandwich!"

Letting out a quick, "ha," Shadow reached for one of the many sandwiches and handed it to her, that same grin still sitting plainly on his face as he continued to search through the basket. "Amy, those subjects are barely related, and to be honest, I'm not sure why you didn't put a transition sentence in there."

"Shadow, you're over-thinking again." Amy told him, a smirk on her face as she tore the wrapping off the sandwich. "Think simple thoughts! Like; the sunset looks so pretty right now! I just love it!"

Humming, Shadow furrowed his brow. "I forgot to grab cups."

"Well, that _is_ a simple thought, but not what I had in mind." Amy said, nearly laughing to herself as she took a bite of her sandwich.

Nodding quietly (possibly in agreement, possibly to himself), Shadow took in a deep breath, sighing as he looked at Amy. "I need to go grab some cups. You alright with waiting for a few minutes?" Amy simply nodded, and with that, Shadow smiled. "Great!" He exclaimed, "I'll be right back, alright?"

Amy nodded yet again, swallowing her mouthful of food in the process so she could speak one last time. "Alright." Shadow grinned at her, and with that he stood and dashed off, leaving Amy with only her thoughts as a companion.

For what must have been forever and a half, Amy was breathless as she stared off in the direction Shadow had taken off in, and then, at the world around her, still somewhat in awe at everything having to do with the date. The atmosphere of the air around her, the wonderful mood that had taken her, the simplistic sophistication in their plans; everything simply felt perfect. No, everything simply _was _perfect.

The thought made Amy smile once again, her cheeks burning red in the process. Oh, how happy it made her, just the silly thought of everything! To think that a few months ago, she had barely even known Shadow. And now she was on a date with him—a date of all things! She had never expected to become so close to Shadow… never in a thousand years! Even with Shadow being a much more optimistic person, she still would never have imagined him befriending her, much less ever going on a date with her.

It was funny, in a way. To think that the position of the enigma had been so suddenly switched with—of all people—Sonic the Hedgehog. One day, she had been able to in the very least chat with him, and the next day, he didn't even acknowledge her presence. It was beyond odd in her opinion, and yet at the same time, it sort of made sense. She had gained a friend and lost a friend on the same day; it was logical in her mind, but when she really thought about it… it bugged her. It bugged her a lot, even though she had promised herself that she had gotten over it.

Growling, Amy shook her head. "Oh, stop it." She exclaimed, her heart skipping a beat at the realization and in the shock of where her thoughts had traveled so quickly. "This isn't about Sonic. Why am I even bringing him up?"

In the back of her mind, there was a quiet whisper going off, nearly sinister in its nature, though soft in its tone. _ It's because I don't want to lose him, even if he's only a friend. He's always been a big part of my life; I can't just throw him out, even if I want to. _

Taking in another deep breath, Amy shook her head. Just because she had been a part of a little spat with him, it didn't mean that she had totally and completely lost him as a friend, right? _You never know, especially since he didn't seem to remember me when I last saw him. _Amy simply sighed at that thought. _Either he really did forget about me, or maybe… maybe he was just trying to ignore me. Maybe he was trying to make me mad. _

A flare of anger taking root inside her, Amy shook her head again furiously, nearly growling in the process. How dare he even think of—no! No, no, no! Why on Mobius was she letting such negative thoughts cloud her mind, and on such a great occasion too? She was on a date with Shadow the Hedgehog—the hedgehog that she had fallen in love with over the previous weeks, mind you—and all she could think about was the possibility of losing Sonic's friendship!

Her brow furrowing, Amy took another furious bite of her sandwich. Why did such stupid things always have to plague her mind? It made her want to smack herself in the middle of the forehead. Did she really always have to be so… ah, how did she put it? Clingy to pleasant memories? Unable to move past unpleasant things? So unwilling to forget?

_Well, this is Sonic I'm talk—well, thinking about. It's kind of hard to move past him_... But she had Shadow now! Shadow was a gentleman, and he always at least had the courtesy to tell her when something was on his mind. But Sonic was, well, Sonic! He never cared enough to apologize for anything he did, and he never stuck around for anything whatsoever. Sometimes, he just made Amy so—

Ugh. What on Mobius was wrong with her? Taking in a deep breath, Amy closed her eyes. She needed to calm down. She had already promised herself that she wouldn't worry about Sonic anymore, and besides; she had already gotten over her issues with Sonic. Only just barely had the thought of him bothered her, and for what reason? What possible idea could have melted her calm state of mind into such a fragile state?

For a moment she had been taken by her rage, and to be honest, it frightened her a bit. Why did she freak out so quickly? Hadn't she already found peace with the subject? The thoughts that had come into her mind where few in number, but they were powerful all the same. And yet they were dark and foreign for some reason, as if it wasn't her thoughts, but something else. It was something cruel and dark and almost evil. It was something scary…

"Hey Amy!" But the moment Shadow's voice reached her, she forgot about that whisper in the back of her head, and her spirits were lifted. A smile on her face, Amy turned to Shadow.

"Took you long enough!" She exclaimed, nearly laughing to herself when he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I could have just never come instead." He said, sitting down next to her carefully as he recited a quick chaos incantation. "You know, just let you stay out here. Wonder if I'm ever going to come back. Stuff like that."

As the two cups appeared before their eyes, Amy smiled. "Well, I know you wouldn't do that, Shadow."

Raising an eyebrow, Shadow let out a simple "Ha," and shook his head. "And why wouldn't I do that, Amy Rose?"

"Because if you did that, I'd have to give you a high-five to the face with my hammer."

Shadow shrugged in reply. "Fair enough."

For awhile after that, the two ate their food in silence. Despite this, though, there was no awkwardness present between them. Instead, there was an aura of peace and content drifting through the air. It felt as if the two had been best friends for years rather than for a few weeks… as if they had known each other their whole lives. Every time they exchanged a look—whether it was an amused raised eyebrow or whether it was a simple smile—the other instantly replied with some sort of goofy grin or soft smirk.

It was absolutely wonderful to Amy. Rarely did she ever enjoy silence so much; even more extraordinary than that, though, was the fact that she a participant of it. Usually, she was the one who couldn't stop talking, even if someone would have offered her a million rings, or the world's cutest puppy. The idea itself, that Amy could be quiet, left the whole world speechless.

The peace that was ruling them for some reason, though, felt somewhat weak for some reason. No, not weak, but… fake. Fake like the calm before the storm. There was something in the air, something drifting, wafting, and waiting for the right moment to strike. It was something that for some reason, only Amy could detect. Or to be more accurate, it was something that only Amy could hear. That quiet whisper in her head, though silenced, was still present in the back of her mind. It had been pushed down, drowned, and nearly cut off, but it was still there. _Just like it used to be with Sonic… but with Shadow. _

"Amy," Shadow spoke, suddenly snapping her out of her blank stare and her empty state of mind. "Can I ask you something?"

Her gaze glued to the black and red hedgehog for what must have been forever and a half, Amy nodded. "Of course." She said, taking a moment to glance up at the sky. Clouds had taken over the air above them, and a slightly metallic smell was descended upon them. It was going to rain soon. Had that been the cause of Amy's worries?

Shadow took a moment with a furrowed brow to think, sifting through the words until he found the perfect way to produce the sounds as he too took a moment to look up toward the on-coming storm. "What do you think of me?"

Amy's heart skipped a beat at his words, though they were simple. Why was he asking her that? Had he figured out that she—? Swallowing, Amy glanced off to the side, her cheeks very suddenly turning red. "Why do you ask?"

The black and red hedgehog smiled. "Just wondering."

Just wondering? Taking in a deep breath, Amy closed her eyes. All she had to do was tell him what she thought of him. Just tell him the truth! Well, not the whole truth. She didn't want to tell him _everything_, for Heaven knew how Shadow would have reacted if he knew that she had fallen for him. The very last thing that she wanted to do was ruin a friendship with yet another hedgehog hero.

Before Amy could even think of opening her mouth to talk, though, Shadow continued speaking. "Because I've been meaning to tell you something. About what I think about you. I mean it's about how I feel about you. I mean, um…" Shadow paused, his brow furrowing as he did his very best to wear a somewhat dignified expression. "I'm, well, I guess I'm just—ugh! Why was this so much easier in my head?"

Amy simply stared at the black and red hedgehog in surprise, her eyes a bit wider than usual. What was wrong with Shadow? Was he okay? Just as she was about to ask him, Shadow grabbed Amy's hands, making her heart skip a beat and a half. What on Mobius was going on? Why was Shadow freaking out? In the back of her mind, that tiny seed of doubt and fright began to grow stronger.

"I'm sorry I'm acting so odd, I'm just not quite sure on how to word this. I've been meaning to tell you something, and I've been waiting for the right time to tell you. So," Taking in a deep breath, Shadow swallowed and nodded to himself. "I'm just going to say it."

Say it…?

"You drive me insane sometimes Amy, but I really care about you. There may be days where you can be a little selfish, but you always do your best to help others, and I really admire that about you." What did he mean by that? At the moment, Amy's mind was racing faster than Shadow's. Any and every thought concerning the matter directly at hand soared through her psyche at the speed of light. _Is he having a hard day? Does he just want to rant to me? What if he's going to tell me that he likes someone? What if it's me? _

_What if it isn't me? _

"There are days when we don't get along, and there are days where we drive each other up the wall, but we always manage to work it out in the end. You're always willing to forgive others, and you do your best not to judge them because of their mistakes. With all the crap I've done in my, well, existence, that means a lot to me Amy. And, well…" He smirked letting go of her hands, "It makes me really happy. It sounds kind of funny, but it really does."

Her heart nearly pausing once again, Amy smiled. "I'm glad it does, Shadow."

He nodded in approval, smirking as he once again took one of her hands. "And I guess that's why I l—" the word caught in his throat and Shadow sighed, shaking his head and taking his hand to his forehead. "Heaven help me."

Was… he? _Whatever he's going to say has to be a lie. _Doing her best to push the thought away, Amy swallowed. He was going to tell her something important. Why would he lie to her? Shadow didn't lie to her. Shadow was her friend! No matter what, Shadow would always be her friend.

"Amy Rose, I'm going to be honest. I love you. Yeah, it's cliché, but… well, yeah. I do. And stuff." He would… always… be her… friend. Right?

_Just like it used to be with Sonic… but with Shadow._

"Amy, did I actually say it out loud that time? Or did it come out as gibberish again?"

Within a half a second, Amy's heart and stomach were tied in a thousand knots. Her mind was going in so many different directions—joy, shock, relief, curiosity—but for some reason, something else had taken her. It was loud and angry and for some reason, it over-powered every other emotion and notion in her system. He... he… he was teasing her! He had to be! People didn't just like, well, love Amy Rose, especially not Shadow! She was loud and annoying and obnoxious and rude and dumb! How dare he tease her about her feelings? How dare he?

A complete lack of reasoning took control of her at that moment (coupled with a good few pounds of stress). With one swift movement, Amy's hand flew across Shadow's face with a loud CRACK, knocking both the breath from his lungs and the smile from his face. As he fell back from the shock of the action, Amy shot up off the grass.

"How dare you, Shadow the Hedgehog! How dare you mock me? You good-for-nothing creep!"

The hedgehog that was being yelled at simply sat back in his spot on the grass, holding his cheek as he stared wide-eyed into the distance. "I hate it when people tease me! Why do you have to be so rude, Shadow? You know you don't do that to me, you—you jerk! You heartless, insensitive jerk! Idiot!"

Rather than replying, Shadow took in several heavy breaths. For a moment he just sat there, a blank stare sitting on his face as droplets of rain began to descend on the world. Silence ruled even as he stood up, turning away from her once he was on his feet. He took in a deep and heavy breath once he was steady, and with that, he very carefully (and very quietly) began to walk away.

And as to be expected, Amy didn't like that. "What on Mobius are you doing? I'm talking to you, Shadow the Hedgehog! Show me at least a little respect and—"

The second his gaze met hers, her heart stopped, and all of the anger in her body melted away. The look in his eyes, the way he held himself, the stiffness in his body; it was beyond cold. It was something that would have made ice itself shiver. His stare was border-lining on blank and angry (leaning toward the angry side, of course), but behind that was a carefully hidden accumulation of pain. He was hurt.

And it was Amy's fault.

The cruel thoughts dying off within a moment, Amy swallowed. What on Mobius had possessed to say something so incredibly heartless to Shadow? She loved him for crying out loud, and she had called him out on saying that very thing she wanted to hear—oh, what was wrong with her? How could she have so little faith in him? How? Swallowing, Amy took a step forward.

"Shadow, I didn't—"

He raised a hand, and that was all he needed to do to silence her. The breath caught in the back of her throat, and Amy watched as Shadow opened his mouth to speak.

"I hope you enjoy being alone." He said, his voice as dark and lifeless as it had been so many years ago. "Brat."

His words pierced her in every single way imaginable. She gasped as the tears began to take root, but before she could say anything, Shadow turned and without another word, ran.

It was at that moment when the undeniable and terrible truth struck her: she was going to lose him. "Shadow!" She cried out, taking off after him. "Wait! I didn't mean it, I swear! I'm sorry!" But he didn't stop. The Ultimate Life Form simply continued running, moving so fast that within several seconds, he was already out of sight. "Shadow, wait! WAIT!"

Even when moving at full speed, Amy couldn't even move at a fourth of the speed that Shadow could. Within less than a minute she had totally lost track of him, and countless tears had streamed down her face. Oh, why did she do that? Why? So stupid! Why did she have to be so stupid?

The blurriness of her tears, the lack of control she had on her body, and the sudden accompaniment of the rain were far too much on her. After running for a few minutes, her instability left her without any balance and with far too little instinct to react properly. Within the blink of an eye, Amy had tripped on the uneven asphalt path, her arms and knees banging on its surface with a sharp pain. A cry escaped from her lips, and at that point, all energy left her body.

For a moment, all Amy could do was lay there on the ground. She had no drive to move, and at the moment, that lack of motivation was draining her. There was no point to trying. No point, no point, no point. There was no way on Mobius that she could catch him; no way in all of creation that she could ever even dream of it. He was one of the fastest moving things alive. It was simply impossible.

A single thought—her one sliver of a silver lining—suddenly struck her after a few long moments of laying there. What if he had gone back to the house? What if he was back at Henry and Rita's? Her heart suddenly racing, Amy swallowed and with as much energy as she could muster, she pushed herself off the ground. She cringed once at the pain of moving her now-bruised elbows and knees, but she did her best to ignore it as she stood up on her feet.

She had to find him; she simply had to.

* * *

><p>Faster. FASTER. He had to go faster. No matter what, he simply had to get away.<p>

He couldn't stay, not as long as she was there. She had made him believe even stronger in those fairy-tale endings. He needed to stop believing in stupid little stories. Happy endings weren't for him. Happiness wasn't his to claim. Only heroes deserved joy, and he wasn't a hero. Or was he?

No. He deserved his own joy. Everyone did. There was just no way he was going to earn it with her. She was selfish and bratty and rude. She didn't believe him when he told her the truth, and she mocked him about it too. Right?

Oh no, she hadn't mocked him. She had simply refused his feelings. Right? RIGHT? He growled, gritting his teeth as he sped up once again. Maybe. Or maybe she had just been scared. Maybe she was just scared of someone taking her heart and smashing it into little pieces again. Maybe she was scared that he had been lying. Or maybe she was just scared of him.

That was the last thing he needed; the last thing he wanted in his happily ever after, as cliché as it sounded. He simply wanted everything to be okay. To be honest, he had wanted Amy to reciprocate those feelings, but if it wasn't meant to be… so be it.

He had done just fine on his own before. Who was to say that he couldn't do it again?

* * *

><p>The moment Amy burst through the front door, soaking wet, make-up smudged, and her elbows and knees banged up, all eyes instantly shot towards her in surprise.<p>

"Is he here?" She asked, her voice frantic and hoarse. "Did he come here?"

The three others in the room—Henry, Rita, and Maria—simply stared at her in surprise. "Shadow?" Rita finally asked after several long moments of silence.

Amy nodded anxiously; swallowing as her heart skipped a beat in pure anticipation—fear—for the answer.

Rita shook her head cautiously in response. "No, he didn't. Why do you ask? Aren't you two supposed to be out on your date still?"

Both her face and her heart fell at Rita's answer, and within moments, a heart-breaking look formed in her eyes. Tears began to run down her cheeks and without a fair warning, she broke down in sobs.

Surprise quickly being over-ridden by an instinct to help her friend, Maria dashed over to Amy. "Amy, what's the matter?" She asked as she carefully led Amy to the couch to sit.

"He's gone!" She cried bitterly, "I didn't mean to say it, it just came out! I didn't really mean it, I didn't! I tried to apologize, but he… he…" But before she could finish, she was taken over once again by her tears.

Her eyes growing wide, Maria's ears fell. "What do you mean, gone?"

Amy didn't—rather, she couldn't—answer. Instead, she continued to cry as both Henry and Rita stood up, exchanging quick glances before they took off in separate direction. Rita towards the kitchen to prepare some hot chocolate, and Henry towards the hallway where the first-aid kit was located.

"Amy, just answer me. What do you mean by gone?"

Letting out a sad cry, Amy turned to Maria. "He's gone back to Station Square, Maria. He's gone back to his apartment, and I'm probably never going to see him again. He hates me Maria, he hates me!"

Maria, still a little confused, gave Amy an empathetic glance, opening her mouth before Rita suddenly called from the kitchen. "Maria, can I get a little help in here?"

Sending Amy another apologetic look before she turned back to the kitchen, Maria nodded. "I'm coming!" And with that, Maria took off, leaving Amy to only her bitter thoughts.

_The black and red hedgehog ran, faster and faster with each moment. _

The angry words that swirled in her mind struck at each other and any lasting piece of joy, causing her to cry heavier and harder with each moment. How could she have said something so unkind? Why hadn't she stopped to think? Couldn't she have at least checked the Glass Rose to see if he was lying or not? Oh, why hadn't she thought of it?

_His breathing patterns were irregular and heavy, and a deep set frown had found a humble abode on his face._

The Glass Rose. It was all she had left of him; the only proof of his existence to her. Oh, she needed it. Without another thought, Amy recovered the rose, nearly gasping when her eyes set upon it.

_He was furious and heart-broken, and he needed to get away. _

The rose was shriveled like a real rose near the end of its life. Its petals were barely hanging on, the thorns were tiny and stubby, and to her shock, there was a crack running up its stem. It… it _was_ nearly dead.

_Get away from her. From the stupidity of "love," from the illusions it created, everything. He hated it, he hated—_

Oh. Oh no, no ,no. Clamping her eyes shut, Amy wrapped her hands around the rose, shaking her head in the process. Why was she so stupid? Oh why, oh why, oh why?

_An unseen root caught his foot, and within less than a second, the hedgehog fell, face-first in the mud._

Why? Couldn't she for once think for herself?

_The moment he was on his hands and knees, he gritted his teeth, glaring at the mud in-between his fingers. Stupid root. Stupid mud. Stupid rain. He hated it all!_

Letting her grip loosen just once, Amy swallowed—

_Fed up with the rage and heartache, Shadow threw his fist down on the ground once, letting out a single heart-wrenching cry._

And with that, the Glass Rose shattered.

* * *

><p>I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. (I just had to make the Doctor Who reference. Heh heh-)<p>

Anyways, I'm seriously sorry that it took so long for me to update! :O I just hope that this long chapter made up for the lack of update. This one was actually pretty hard to right, and for good reason.

Oh, and yeah, cliff-hanger! :D I'm terrible, aren't I? The road to happiness is always rough... but it's well worth it in the end.

Until next time! :D


	26. La Dee Freaking Da

** Chapter 26: La Dee Freaking Da**

The Hero of Mobius paid attention little to the breeze that was wiping past him as he sat underneath the tree, his eyes closed and his hands tucked behind his head. He thought little of anything at the moment, to be perfectly honest, for he was relaxing for the first time since the sun had rose. After a long day of running around the city, gathering supplies with what little money he and Sal had (and beating up Eggman, since he had decided to go on a wrecking spree), he found himself content with simply sitting back, closing his eyes, and letting the day pass him by.

Needless to say, Sonic found himself enjoying his much needed relaxation, as well as the presence of his princess.

"Sonic," And speak of the devil! "Do you want to get something to eat soon? I'm getting pretty hungry."

As he turned towards her and opened his eyes, Sonic let his signature smirk take over. "Sure! Sounds good to me."

His gaze met Sally's at the same time, and the two smiled at each other. "Sweet. What are you in the mood for?"

He merely smiled at her, and she rolled her eyes in response.

"Uncle Chuck's chili dog stand it is. Again."

Grinning once again, Sonic nodded and returned to his regular resting position. "I'm surprised you expected anything different."

"I am too." Sally sighed, taking a moment to stare up at the cloudy sky once before returning her gaze to Nicole's screen. "It's a good thing he's started serving burgers too."

Sonic chuckled, "Can't stand the chili dog's pure deliciousness, Sal?"

"That's the nice way to put it, my dear Sonic."

He laughed, "Some things are just too intense for people like you."

Sally merely let out a, "Hmf," in response, which only made Sonic smile again. As to be expected.

For a few minutes after that, silence took over, though it wasn't awkward in the slightest bit. Instead, it was a peaceful quiet that was ruling the two. The only sound that rang out above it was the wind, which had picked up substantially within the course of several seconds. Along with that, the occasional crackle of thunder sounded in the distance after being led by a flash of lightning.

"A storm's coming in." Sonic mumbled under his breath, speaking just low enough that Sally couldn't hear him. For some reason that the hedgehog couldn't place, something seemed a bit off about the storm. It felt like there was something riding on it, something other than just nature's wrath. Something that he simply couldn't put a finger on…

He began to ponder upon the storm, but before he could take two steps into the land of wondering, the answer hit him, quite literally.

A powerful force suddenly struck the hero, making his heart skip a beat, the breath leave his lungs, and a gasp escape from his throat as his eyes flew open. Though he didn't know where it had originated, he recognized it instantly as a blast of chaos energy. And goodness, was it powerful.

His heart suddenly racing from the pure shock of the energy's strength, Sonic shot up off his spot on the ground. Without a single warning, he turned towards the tree and bounded upwards onto a thick and sturdy branch, spending only a fraction of a second on it before making his way to the next branch and the next one after that. He was at the top of the tree within mere moments, his head wiping around wildly in an attempt to get another whiff of the chaos energy.

What he found sent his head whirling. The energy, rather than being an attack, was pure emotion. Emotion. _Feelings. _What on Mobius? His brow furrowing together, Sonic put a hand on his head. A headache was settling in from the blast. It wasn't simply emotions that had been hurled across the land, oh no, that would have been far too easy. It was pain. Heartache and rage mixed together to synthesize the deadliest of toxins. In the simplest of terms, it was awful.

"Sonic," a surprised voice from below called out. "What's going on?"

The hedgehog didn't respond. There was far too much swirling around in his mind for him to concentrate on any words. Though the energy was quickly fading away and seeping into the world around him, it was difficult to sort through it and organize his thoughts at the same time.

In-between the chaos energy and Sonic's own efforts to calm it, he had missed the sounds of Sally scaling the tree. "Sonic," she said once she was by his side, making him jump. "What just happened?"

When he turned to her, it took him a moment to gather his thoughts and find adequate words. "I just… I sensed a bunch of chaos energy that just came out of nowhere." He finally told her after a few seconds of nothing. "If that's the way to put it. There's someone out there…" Sonic paused to steal a glance at the sky before continuing. "Someone out there who's in a lot of pain. And I mean a lot."

He became silent again, his eyes glazing over as he watched the dreary sky release another bolt. Sally did the same for a moment, stealing a peek at Sonic's expression before turning back to the skyline. If Sonic had felt that person's pain, whoever they were, it was obvious that they must have been hurting big time.

Silently grabbing Sonic's hand, Sally spoke softly, "I hope that they'll be alright."

Sonic nodded, "Me too, Sal. Me too."

* * *

><p>It took Shadow the Hedgehog four hours, twenty-eight minutes, and fifteen seconds to return to his apartment in Station Square, and it was as simple as that. No chaos emerald needed, no shortcuts taken, nothing but old fashioned running. Nothing to slow him down, nobody to wait for, and certainly nobody he had to carry. It made him realize how much Amy had slowed him down on the journey to Nightendale.<p>

He winced in both rage a hint of hidden sadness every time he brought her name up.

But four days later, he rarely thought about anything, really. He didn't speak much either. Most of the time, he simply replied with an ornery, "Hmph." Or on the rare circumstances in which that didn't suffice, with an even more irritated, "Fine."

So Shadow the Hedgehog was back to square one. He was the Ultimate Lifeform, one of the fastest things alive, and G.U.N.'s top operative. But above all that, he was a pissy co-worker.

And everyone hated it.

Shadow the Hedgehog had taken fifty steps backwards and sadly, it didn't seem like he gave a flying crap about the fact that it hurt more than just himself. He was back to the self that almost no one could talk to without feeling like an idiot. When at work, he made sure that everyone knew he was in a bad mood. And worst of all, he treated everyone like they were dirt because hey, he was the Ultimate Lifeform, and he did whatever the heck he wanted.

Though his sudden bad mood had failed to go unnoticed (because hiding something like that was like hiding an elephant in one's living room), no one tried to do anything about it. Well, no one except for Rouge the Bat.

Rouge was Shadow's only co-worker and one of his only friendsthat didn't fear his wrath or bad moods. Rather than that, she often mocked him for it, telling him the same thing every time she saw him sporting a scowl.

"If you keep making that face, it's going to get stuck one day. You don't want to look like that for the rest of your life, do you?"

For a long time, the comment only made his glare increase. He'd release his signature, "Hmph," in her direction, storming down the hallway as the bat following after him, sending more teasing words his way. It was only after Shadow had taught Sonic the chaos arts and the two had become friends that he had learned to gladly take the words and smile in reply. Unfortunately, even that had died down back to its most primitive state upon returning to Station Square.

But Rouge wasn't going to let him get away with it. The very moment that Shadow's grouchy reply registered in her mind, she turned on the spot and began stalking him, nearly fuming. How dare he revert to such bratiness! And after he had been on such a long vacation! Well, it wasn't quite a vacation, but it could have easily been called that. He should have been in a great mood, especially after having discovered something new about himself!

The hedgehog beat her to his location by about a good thirty seconds, but by the time she swiped her card and stepped through the door, he was already shooting his pistol at the targets in front of him. Ah, the indoor shooting range. He spent much of his free-time there.

Upon entering, Rouge quickly plugged her ears and began to glance about. Other than Shadow, there was only one other officer there, and she was already packing up her gun. It gifted her with the perfect opportunity to confront him about both his glare and what exactly had happened on his long trip. He had yet to tell her about what had happened, and goodness did she want to know!

She spent a long time simply watching the hedgehog. His precision was spot on, and there was rarely more than half a second spent in-between each bullet he sent off. He aimed and shot at each target without mercy, kept going long after a real person would have been a goner, wearing a glare that was a mix of pure concentration and buried anger. Sometimes, he'd even shoot at the target's heads, aim for the eyes that had been painted on the targets and strike them as if he was barely trying.

After obliterating several of the moving targets (Rouge just knew he was going to get chewed out for that later), the pistol finally ran out of ammo. Shadow merely growled once he realized such, having missed the opportune moment to finish off another one of his victims. He quickly began the process of loading a new set, but before he could get too far, Rouge pounced on the opportunity.

"So Shadow," he didn't even jump at the sound of his own name like he usually did when she snuck up on him, "Why so frowny today?"

The hedgehog didn't respond, and Rouge very nearly growled. Of course. "Okay, maybe not. Don't respond to that. How about… how did your trip go?"

His gun reloaded, Shadow ignored the question yet again. Rouge rolled her eyes, thoroughly upset with his attitude. Did he always have to be so… so Shadow? How sad that his name was a synonym with grumpy. Maybe she needed to be softer with him, sound more motherly or something. "Okay, I heard that you brought Amy along with you. Why did—"

The hedgehog in questioned cringed at the mentioned of the happy-go-lucky girl, and for the first time that Rouge had ever seen, Shadow the Hedgehog missed his target, for he had already pulled the trigger. What the…?

Before she could question what had caused such a phenomenon, Shadow wiped around, his gaze flaming and beyond anything she could call rage. "Don't mention that—" But he stopped, gritting his teeth and glaring at Rouge until he regained control, took in a deep breath, and turned around again. He didn't pull his gun up right away though, and it baffled the bat. Why had bringing up Amy made him so mad?

Her curiosity piqued, Rouge furrowed her brow, her eyes still fixed on Shadow. She simply had to know what had happened. There had to be some big reason behind his emotional outburst, and she wanted in on it. But more than that, Rouge felt concern for her friend. Something was very wrong, and she knew it for a fact.

"Shadow," she said, her voice becoming soft again as she reached out to him, "What happened? Why—"

The moment her hand touched his shoulder, Shadow turned and wrapped his hand around her wrist, a ferocious grimace adorning his features. "Don't you dare touch me!" He roared, throwing her hand off to the side and making her lose her balance in the process. "Leave me alone, you nosy, selfish, bratty bat!"

The moment she had both feet on the ground again, Rouge found herself gaping in shock. While she didn't care that he had called her nosy (because it was true and she knew it), his rudeness was unacceptable. And calling her a selfish brat on top of it? How dare him.

"Selfish?" Rouge was finally able to spit out after a whole thirty seconds of silence. "Selfish? You're calling me selfish? Because I'm trying to find out what's wrong with one of my best friends? That's _selfish_?" She yelled (goodness was she glad that the female officer had left before any of this had started).

Shadow held his ground, his gaze unchanged. "You only wanted to find out the latest gossip."

Gossip_. _

While Rouge was known for being the one who knew what was going on in everyone's person lives (and sometimes "accidentally" sharing it with others), that single word hit Rouge square in the chest in the most hurtful way imaginable. When it came to Shadow, Rouge never gossiped, unless it was the regular and often expected, "He's in a bad mood, stay clear of him today." She respected her friend, even if she was relentless when she teased him. His accusation was flat-out offensive to her.

A glower that easily put Shadow's to shame took over Rouge as she spoke. "So you're telling me that I'm spreading gossip about you? No, you're telling me that I'm trying to find out something about you so I _can _gossip about you? You're saying that you know what I'm thinking and intending, and you're also saying that you know me better than I know myself? Am I getting all this right, Shadow the Hedgehog?"

Even though she knew he wasn't going to respond, Rouge didn't give him the chance to do so. "You know what? I'm getting really sick of this. The moment something crappy happens in your life, you shut everyone out unless it's to use them as your emotional punching bag. One of these days, you're not even going to have me around to pick you up, and guess what? You'll finally be alone, just like you want."

Rolling his eyes, Shadow shook his head as if he simply didn't care. "Like I need yo—"

Rouge punched him across the face before he could even think of finishing.

"THAT'S IT!" She yelled once he had fallen to the ground. "I am so done with you, Shadow the freaking idiot! I'm glad that something bad happened to you, and if Amy happened to do it to you, all the better! It's all you deserve since all you ever do is expect the worst out of people!"

With that, Rouge turned on her heel, angrier than she had been in years. "Talk to me when you're done being a spoiled little two year old." And she stormed out.

Glued to his spot on the ground, Shadow stared wide-eyed at the wall. He didn't know what to say, but he knew exactly what to think, and to be honest… he felt awful.

Though he never would have admitted it in a million years, he had appreciated the fact that Rouge cared enough to ask him what was wrong. He had even secretly been looking forward to her teasing, but the moment _she_ had been brought up, everything went down the drain. He was enraged at the mere mention of her name, and he had taken it out on one of his best friends.

So he was alone.

Shadow glared at the wall, nearly cursing as he rose to his feet and turned to the shooting range yet again, raising his pistol after having pushed the button to release more targets. He was furious with himself and as lonely as could be. He wanted to apologize to Rouge and have at least one friend by his side in his time of need, but his pride kept him back from taking even one step away from the shooting range.

And beneath that, buried in a part of him that he had closed off, he wanted to forgive Amy for her harsh words. He wanted everything to be okay between them, he wanted them to be best friends, and even deeper than that, he wanted her to tell him those three words he had said to her… but he couldn't keep himself from being hurt. Or was it pride yet again that was keeping him from just sucking it up and letting go? He didn't know.

He was torn, and he was hurt.

* * *

><p>A young hedgehog arrived at her cozy home that sat proudly outside of the mess of skyscrapers that were Station Square's main body, opening the door slowly as she breathed softly. For some reason, she feared that if she moved to fast, she'd break it apart, turn the whole place into rubble, and ruin it like she had ruined Shadow.<p>

She swallowed back a sad cry at the thought of him. No, she couldn't cry. Not again.

Once she was in her house, Amy closed the door behind her and glanced around. The house felt empty and lonely, and it was far too cold for her liking. Or was that just the chill of her soaked clothes finally getting to her?

It had taken Amy four days to travel from Nightendale to her humble abode in the suburbs of Station Square. After a series of heart-felt goodbyes between her and the family of hedgehogs, she had begun her run home, stopping only to eat and sleep (sometimes under the stars, sometimes at cheap motels). She was sad to leave, but after everything that had happened, she felt as if she was more of a burden to them than anything else. And besides that, what was the point of staying if Sha—_he_ had left? They were his family, not hers.

They had asked her to stay a bit longer, though. The family had told her that there was a possibility of him coming back, but Amy knew better. She knew much better.

After taking off her shoes and stealing a few moments to find a blanket to wrap herself up in, Amy headed towards the dining room table. For a few moments, she simply stood there, staring at the table as she listened to the sounds of the thunderstorm outside. Did she want to do it? Did she? A battle raged in her heart, but eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she did it.

She took out the Glass Rose. Or at least, she took out what was left of it.

The hedgehog caught the container that the pieces had been gathered into—a plastic tupperware bowl—and gawked at it. Just seeing it brought back everything all at once and she nearly started bawling again.

_A broken rose and shock and heartbreak. _

Wordlessly, Amy pulled the lid off, careful as to not take it off too suddenly. If she did such a thing, there was a chance of spreading all the little shards everywhere, and that was the last thing she wanted to do again.

_Tears and cuts and bleeding and pain. _

She sat the bowl on the table as she pulled the nearest chair out. Once she was sitting up-right in it, she carefully took the bowl again. Several of the pieces caught just enough light from the gray sky that they sparkled, sparkled just a tiny bit…

_Broken glass everywhere and crying until she threw up. _

With care and caution, Amy poured the shards onto the table.

_Gathering each piece, taking hours to clean every single one of them. _

Light scars were adorned upon her arms, parts of her face, and her neck. Each was darker than the last. They were as obvious as the clouds that were hanging in the sky, but she paid no attention to them. Instead, she made sure that each shard had joined its brother in the pile.

_Broken. _

And once they were all there, she simply watched them. Stared at them. Hoped they would do something, anything. Maybe they'd reform, pull themselves together, heal. Any proof that Shadow was okay, that Shadow had forgiven her, that there was still some chance.

She sat there for five minutes.

Then, sadly and quietly, Amy folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them. She was out of tears, out of hope, and out of time. It was too late, and she just knew it.

She was torn, for she had hurt him.

* * *

><p>Anger is simply a mask for other emotions. Shadow turns to it, for other emotions are weakness to him. What will it take for him to swallow his pride? And will Amy be able to see Shadow again?<p>

And another chapter posted! I'm on a roll! Woo hoo! Oh wait, this is a sad chapter. Boo hoo!

Wow. That was a ton of reviews for the last chapter. Thank you guys so much! :D It really means a lot to me! :)

The next update won't take forever this time. :) Until next time! :D


	27. If I Fade Then Don't--

** Chapter 27: If I Fade Then Don't—**

_"Amy Rose." _

The moment those two words had been spoken, the name she had carried with her since birth, she found herself whipping around furiously in an attempt to find who had called for her.

_"Amy." _

Her breathing sped up as she turned, searching desperately for the owner of the bass voice as the world around her began to slowly melt into a more and more distorted version of reality. Who was calling for her, and for what reason?

_"Amy, Amy, Amy." _

She searched the sky, the area surrounding her; everywhere she could possibly think of, but to no avail. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't find the owner of the voice that had swallowed her.

_"My dear Amy…" _

Wherever could he—?

"Hey!" another voice suddenly found her, distinctly female and coming from a single direction, rather than resonating from every particle in the air like the male's voice had. "We still need to hang out!"

The young girl turned to see, to her surprise, Sally Acorn, smiling at her. Her hands were sitting on her hips, and she was wearing a birthday hat for some unfathomable reason. "Sally, where is—?"

"There's no time to explain," Sally suddenly told her, grabbing her hand and dragging her off to the beach, "The dummy's still stuck in over-drive."

Amy looked up into the air to see Sonic running through an upside-down loop without an end or a beginning, an entrance or an exit. "I have no idea how to do this!" He yelled, carrying what looked to be a hamster cage as he ran.

How bizarre.

Before the girl could even blink again, the three of them—Amy, Sally, and Sonic the Hedgehog—were in the grocery store, looking at various brands of cereal. For some reason, Sonic was still holding the hamster cage.

"I don't think he can eat this one." Sally told the blue blur, her brow furrowed as she pointed to a box of Honey Comb. "It gives him the hiccups."

Sonic sighed at her words, his ears flopping down as a result of the sad revelation. Turning to Amy, he spoke with a soft frown, "Cream's gone shopping. She's getting a new house."

Amy simply didn't know what to say in response, so she merely shrugged. Alright, whatever. She'd just let them buy cereal and get disappointed about hiccups.

"You can pick out a box, Amy." Sally suddenly told her, her gaze still fixated on the chocolately brand she had been eyeing the entire time. "They're a dollar off."

Okay, so she'd choose a box too.

Nodding in response, Amy let her eyes glaze over the many selections. There were chocolately choices, fruity flavors, boring adult stuff, oatmeal, and among the many choices, her favorite cereal: Fruity Pebbles.

For some reason, the simplicity of finding her favorite flavor made her heart soar, and without another thought, she grabbed the box. Ah, how much she loved that cereal! It was so nice to get something that she wanted for once instead of all that flavorless adult stuff people made her eat all the time! It was pure bliss!

Before she turned to face the two who were still deciding upon a box, Amy let her eyes wander off towards the front of the store. At one of the many check-out stands, a man with an incredibly bushy mustache was pricing a customer's items, moving one object at a time over the scanner as the buyer before him swiped his card. He asked him nonchalantly, "Debit or credit?" And the man buying replied.

_"Debit." _

Amy's heart skipped a beat at that one, simple, wonderful word. It was him. It was—oh, it was him!

Excitement captured her heart and mind, and without another thought, Amy ran at him. An uncontrollable smile took her captive mid-run, and an equally unstoppable joy discovered her as she laughed. It was him, it was him, it was him! Oh, there wasn't anything that could have made her happ—

The man at the check-out suddenly turned towards her, his crimson eyes blazing as he opened his mouth and spoke.

_"Brat."_

Her heart nearly stopped.

"Sha—"

And before she could take another step to him, towards that man she loved so much, her alarm clocked blared and Amy Rose's eyes flew open, sending a powerful jolt through her body at the same time.

Sha…Shadow.

The girl simply laid there for awhile, her eyes wide open as she stared at the ceiling of her room. Her breathing was normal, but her heart was racing and her mind was speeding far ahead without any intention of stopping. It had been so bizarre, but it had been him all the same.

Shadow.

For a long time, she couldn't think properly. As she lay there, she tried her hardest to focus on that single image of him. She did her best to center on just the idea of seeing him rather than the pain that had flared in his eyes, but every time she did, she heard that one word in her head. _Brat. _

Shadow…

Eventually, everything hit her all at once, like a brick wall at a demolition. She nearly started crying, but with that tiny bit of willpower she still possessed, Amy choked it down.

She would be strong. Or in the very least, she'd try to be.

"Oh, Shadow…"

* * *

><p>'Bluebells, Rosebuds, and Daffodils Too' was a little floral shop located about three miles away from where Amy lived. It sat on the line between Station Square's main body and suburbs, where both the busy and the citizens with time to spare were able to sit back, relax, and quite literally smell the roses. It was a pleasant place filled with friendly people, and it drew nearly every passerby to it, including Amy several years ago when she was first searching for a job.<p>

After a single day of simply sitting at home and giving herself a break (since she had convinced herself that she needed it), Amy had been scheduled to go back to work. And when Amy entered the shop, the scents of the flowers striking her from every direction imaginable, her spirits were lifted, if only by so little. It had been far too long since she had been to work, since she had focused on others rather than wallowing in her own thoughts and sadness. At the moment, the best thing for her was to smile at the customers and help them in any way that she could. Helping out others always managed to get unpleasant things off her mind.

"Amy!" As soon as her name was called, Amy's head snapped up, and all thoughts in her mind went blank. "It's great to see you again! How have you been?"

Her co-worker, Lydia, was wearing a big smile and a uniform identical to hers, which included a pink shirt, dark green pants, an apron, and a light pink ribbon in her golden hair. She was a lioness, two years older than Amy, and sporting a new pair of glasses. Upon seeing her, Amy smiled softly, nodding politely as she spoke. "I'm doing alright."

"Well that's good to hear! How was your vacation? You've been gone for awhile, so I'm assuming it was good."

The girl swallowed, cringing at the word, "vacation." Did people have to keep bringing it up? Even when they had no idea of what had happened, it sincerely bugged Amy when they brought it up. Glancing off to the side, Amy nodded. "It wasn't bad."

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Ah. Well, how was traveling with Shadow the Sour-puss?"

Amy's eyes grew wide and her body tensed the moment his name was uttered. Oh, not Shadow. Why on Mobius did the girl have to bring Shadow up? She nearly lost her calm composure right then and there, but before she had the chance to say anything, another voice rang throughout the air.

"Amy, you're right on time!" The girl spun around rapidly, a slight smile over-coming her when her eyes met her boss's. "Ready to get to work?"

Never before in her life had Amy ever been so grateful towards her boss. "Yeah," She said, nodding. "Definitely." She had rescued her in the nick of time.

Work that day went by without a hitch. None of the customers threw fits (which was unusual, since one always managed to do so), business was good without being _too_ crazy, all the sales went through, and for the most part, it got Amy's mind out of the muck. Well, for the _most_ part, that was.

There were moments, when arranging a bundle, that Amy would loose herself. She'd find herself caught in the petals of the flowers, dragged back to memories of the not so distant past. Images of him would fill her mind—of him smiling in her direction, rolling his eyes when she told a corny joke, pushing her away jokingly when she decided to get all goofy—and she'd realize with a start that she had been staring at a single flower for almost an entire minute.

Luckily, she never once ended up doing so to a customer. Only during the slowest hour of the day did she manage to space off, and even then, she was fortunate enough to do it when Lydia or one of the other workers was dealing with a customer. After three or four times of doing it, though, Amy was able to catch herself and end it before it got too bad.

But that didn't stop her from thinking about him. It didn't end her desire to see him, to find him and apologize, to wrap her arms around him and tell him the truth. That she cared so much for him, and she wanted everything to be okay… she wanted him to be okay, but…

How?

After a few hours of working, while leaning on the front desk, Amy was both surprised and pleased to see two very familiar rabbits (and one chao) enter the store. Her face lit up the moment her eyes settled upon them, and when the younger of the two found her, she too smiled.

"Amy!" Cream exclaimed, dashing towards the desk at a speed that would have made himself Sonic jealous. "You're back!"

"Chao, chao!" Cheese exclaimed in agreement.

Amy laughed, "Yeah, I'm back! It's great to see you, Cream! You too, Cheese."

Cream smiled in reply, placing her hands and arms on the counter once she was close enough. "How did your trip go? Did you and Mr. Shadow find what you were looking for?"

Though it stung to have the black and red hedgehog brought up yet again, Amy still smiled at her friend. But as she spoke, her expression became vaguely sad, and her ears began to fall. "To be completely honest, it could have gone a bit better. Shadow and I…" And there, she lost her words. There was so much to say, but there was also so much effort to put into too.

"Did you and Mr. Shadow get in a fight?" Cream asked, her voice saddened by Amy's revelation.

For a moment, Amy didn't answer, lost in her words and thoughts. Then, she sighed, nodding slowly. "I guess you could say that."

Cream frowned, her heart dropping at the sadness in her friend's voice. "I'm sorry, Amy. Do you want to talk about it when you get off work?"

Silence had stolen Amy, both mind and tongue as she stood there. She fought desperately to discover the words she needed, but once she had recovered them, she found that they were weak and quiet. "I have something planned right after work." But she quickly stood up straight, putting on a smile so her friend wouldn't worry.

"It shouldn't take too long, though. When I'm done I'll call you, and then we can hang out. I'll tell you how the whole trip went, too. Sound good?"

Cream grinned, "Yeah!"

Cheese agreed, "Chao, chao!"

And Amy merely smiled again, though it was forced.

* * *

><p><em>I don't know what I'm doing here. <em>

Wordless, frozen in place, and with a heart that was racing at the speed of sound, Amy stared at the door directly in front of her. The door to Shadow's apartment. Where Shadow was.

Or at least, where he was supposed to be.

Amy swallowed the lump in her throat, shuffling her feet in the process. What if he wasn't even home? What if she knocked on the door, stood there forever, and ended up looking like some sort of a weird-o stalker? Though she hadn't really stayed free of the stalker title before, she wasn't exactly in the mood to earn it yet again. Much less if it had to do with Shadow.

Sighing at the very thought, Amy shook her head. "I shouldn't even be trying."

But she still wanted to, and there was nothing that was going to stop her. Not even her own fears (which were causing her to quite literally shake in her spot) could have held her back from making an attempt.

"Well," She whispered, taking in a deep breath, "Here goes nothing." And she knocked on the door.

One, two, three, four.

It felt like an eternity and a half had passed before she came to the conclusion that he either wasn't home or wasn't going to answer, and once she did, all she could do was sigh. Though she had been expecting as much, it still hurt. The least he could have done was open the door and look at her, glare at her even. Just giving her the chance to apologize would have been every thing to her.

But did she deserve even that much?

For a long, long time, she was glued in her spot and unable to move. Half of her was fighting to stay there and wait until he opened the door to face her, and half of her was demanding to leave and avoid the embarrassment of the whole ordeal. She was torn right down the middle, and somehow, the turmoil and utter confusion bubbling inside her took control.

And before she knew what she was doing, she was speaking out loud.

"Shadow, I know you're probably not in here and I know that even if you are, you don't want to hear me either. I just… I don't know… I'm sorry." She finally told whoever was (or wasn't) listening. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean what I said. I didn't mean to slap you, I was just scared. I know it sounds dumb, but I got scared, Shadow." She swallowed, furrowing her brow as she spoke.

"I've never had anyone ever tell me something like that. I thought… you were being mean for the sake of being mean. I shouldn't have told myself that, and I shouldn't have even thought of it. Heck, I should have had faith in you for once, just like I always kept telling myself to do!" She said, nearly chuckling at herself as she spoke. "I forgot that you had changed and that you were so nice. I just didn't think that anyone would ever…" And she stopped again.

She sounded so stupid.

Her throat starting to burn and tighten, Amy swallowed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Shadow, even if you hate me for the rest of your life, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I'm really, really, truly sorry. I have no excuse for the way I acted, and I can't even begin to tell you how bad I feel about it. I shouldn't have slapped you. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just…"

Amy paused, taking in a deep breath as she gathered all the courage in her body. "I don't care if you hate me forever, Shadow. I really care about you. You're one of the best friends I've ever had. Shadow, I lo—" But before she could finish her sentence, the word caught in the back of her throat, causing her to cough and gag on her own breath.

Of course.

The moment her breathing returned to normal, Amy took in one final breath, shaking her head in the process. What was the freaking point? Shadow wasn't going to forgive her. He wasn't going to talk to her. Heck, he wasn't even going to open the stupid door, and rightly so too.

The tears having finally claimed her, Amy hiccupped and coughed once, "I'm so sorry, Shadow. I'm so, so sorry." And with that, she turned and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Dead silence followed immediately afterward. It swallowed the hallway, filled the air, and left no prisoners, no hint of there having ever been a crying teenage girl there in the hallway. Only one, tiny sound penetrated the quiet that had descended. One noise that not even the girl had been able to catch when she had paused for breath.

Sitting with his back against the door, wearing a blank expression, and holding the one chaos emerald that was currently in his possession, was none other than Shadow himself. He was taking in soft, nearly inaudible breathes, staring off into the distance as her words soaked into his mind.

He was still for a very long time, his gaze glazed over and empty. Words and thoughts and images danced across his mind, filled his heart, and for a moment, nearly convinced him to get up. At one point, he even pulled his hand up, opened his mouth, and furrowed his brow as if he was actually going to go after her. As if curiosity had really gotten the best of him and convinced him to find out what she had been trying to say.

But all at once, the hedgehog released one slow, heavy breath, and sat back in his spot, absent mindedly tossing the jewel up in the air.

No. Just… no.

* * *

><p>Oh Shadow you lunk head! Why don't you go after her? What a child... and yes, this is another update in the same month! :D How great is that? XD<p>

Glass Rose is rapidly coming to an end. :) There's only a few more chapters left, and I'm both excited and sad! So many mixed feelings about this... I hope you're all looking forward to the end!

Thank you to everyone who favorited, reviewed, and followed this story since last time. :) It means a lot to me! XD

Until next time!


	28. Third Time's the Charm

** Chapter 28: Third Time's the Charm**

Stupid.

Why did every single Mobian and human on the face of the planet (other than himself, of course) have to be so completely and unstoppably dumb? Was it that they had ALL been dropped on their head during their infancy? Maybe their parents had painted every single toy they owned with lead paint? Either way, everything they did was infuriating the black and red hedgehog. And when it came to everything, it was no over-exaggeration.

Accidentally being bumped into, others making eye contact with him, cell phones ringing, the simple chit-chat of teenagers, cars rushing by, even people smiling at him nearly set him off the edge. There wasn't a single thing that didn't make Shadow want to punch something and scream at the top of his lungs. He was furious at the rest of the world for being just fine, because hey, if he wasn't happy, why did everyone else get to be all smiley and annoying?

Or maybe he just wanted justification in punching that idiot cashier in the face.

Yes, that sounded good to Shadow. Very good indeed.

Since her unofficial visit, Amy's words had been swirling and sifting in his head, unsettling his stomach and causing a headache like none other to take over. Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined what kind of an expression she had been wearing while she had spoken to him. He saw her standing there, her hands balled into fists, her teeth gritted as she tried to steady herself, tears rolling down her cheeks. She must have been trying so hard to speak in an even tone, she simply _must _have been doing her best to keep up a good attitude… she must have been heart-broken.

The thought seriously bugged the hedgehog, and it also started up an awful migraine in his head. He was split right down the middle, debating between whether running up to Amy and apologizing, or keeping things the way they were. Either forgiving her, or writing her off as someone who didn't matter.

Frustration got the better of the Ultimate Lifeform over time, and eventually, he threw his arms in the air and yelled, "OH WHO CARES?" before standing up, stomping the entire way to the nearest doughnut shop, and buying himself a dozen doughnuts. From a very, very, very dumb cashier with a stupid hair cut, no less.

So with that, Shadow the Hedgehog sat himself on the right corner of a bench in Station Square's biggest park, opened the box, and simply started eating the pastries. Why? Because he was the Ultimate Lifeform and he could do whatever the heck he wanted.

Plus, it wasn't like he was going to gain any weight anyway, so why not?

He had eaten his way through three doughnuts before he calmed down enough to not growl with every breath, and once he had, he sighed, glared down at the box off to his left, and simply sat there. For awhile, he wondered why on Mobius he had done such an odd thing (because to him, it seemed like something that a teenage girl would have done), but he eventually just shrugged it off and stared at the sky.

It was gray again, little to his surprise. But heck, it was so cloudy that Shadow couldn't even tell where exactly the sun was in the sky. The clouds were thick and dark, stormy, and ready for yet another rainfall, just from the look of it. Maybe it'd start raining later in the after—

"Hey! What's up, blackie?"

Shadow's heart skipped a beat, his eyes went wide, and a single thought ran through his head.

_You have GOT to be kidding me. _

Even though every voice in his head advised—well, screamed, really—against it, Shadow turned to face the voice. And sure enough, to his disappointment, it was Sonic the Hedgehog, who was smiling his signature toothy grin. Off to his right was Sally, smiling a much more subdued grin as she waved at Shadow.

"Hey, Shadow!" She said, glancing at Sonic in confusion for a mere second before looking back to the black hedgehog. "Long time, no see!"

The hedgehog glared back at the two, taking a few seconds to stare at both of them before he replied with an ornery, "Hmf."

Sally seemed a bit surprised by his response, but Sonic laughed as if he was used to it (which he was, when Shadow thought about it). "Don't have anything nice to say, blackie?"

Shadow gritted his teeth together, his angry gaze focusing on Sonic as it intensified. "Don't call me blackie, you idiot."

"Then what should I call you, hm?" Sonic asked as he folded his arms, stealing a single moment to shoot a smile towards Sally. "How about… Dark-one the Emo-hog?"

If looks could have killed, Sonic would have been reduced to a pile of ash on the spot.

"Leave him alone, Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, despite the fact that a smile was on her face and a giggle was at her lips. "Just call him by his name. I don't think he's in the mood for any teasing today." She told him as she sat down to the immediate right of the doughnut box.

He chuckled and shrugged, and Shadow rolled his eyes. The Ultimate Lifeform had half a mind to get the heck out of there as fast as he could, but he knew very well that with Sonic's current mood, any attempt to leave would quickly escalate into a full-scale race. And did he want participate in a race with a hedgehog that had the attention span of a non-Mobian squirrel on his good days? He would have rather shot himself in the foot on the spot.

So despite the undeniable urge to leave, Shadow stayed glued in his spot. For the moment, he was going to have to deal with the hyperactive hero and the tomboy princess. Joy to the world.

"So, uh… remind me what your name is again, will you?"

The moment the words reached Shadow, his glare morphed into an expression of both condescension and confusion, and he turned to face Sonic. "Excuse me?"

Sally, though not as flabbergasted as Shadow, did not look amused. "Really, Sonic? I just said his name out loud."

"I was distracted!" Sonic exclaimed as he eyed the doughnuts, "And speaking of which, I'm taking one of these."

Shadow didn't even get the chance to swat Sonic's hand away. Before he knew it, Sonic was munching on a doughnut drizzled in chocolate, staring at the black hedgehog with a smile. "Mmm. My favorite."

Shadow just wanted to punch the blue hedgehog in the face. He really did.

"So _Shadow_," Sally started, her head whipping towards Sonic the moment she spoke the Ultimate Lifeform's name. "How have you been? It's been awhile since we've seen you last. Has anything exciting gone on in your life?"

He slouched forward until his elbows were resting on his legs and his hands were clamped over his mouth, and he replied with a mono-tone, "Hm."

Sally glanced off to the side, uncomfortable with the fact that she didn't know how to respond to the sulky hedgehog. "Well then. Um… have you had any interesting missions from G.U.N. lately?"

The hedgehog was silent, and in her distress, Sally turned to Sonic for help. She was lucky in the fact that for once, Sonic knew exactly what to say.

"How about this then, Shads." Sonic said, causing Shadow to instantly look up at him. "What's bothering you? There's obviously something on your mind, and it's put you in a rotten mood."

Shadow gazed at the hero, his eyes a bit wider in surprise. How… "Don't look at me like that, I'm calling you Shads whether you like it or not."

Though that hadn't exactly been his reason for staring, Shadow suddenly nodded in response before swallowing. Did… should he… was it a good idea to talk to somebody about it? Much less Sonic the Hedgehog and Sally Acorn of all people? He hadn't even told Rouge about what had happened…

"Shads, you still in there? Hello, Mobius to Emo-hog!"

Shadow ignored Sonic as he stared off into the distance. He had been keeping everything in for so long that, for some reason, he had resorted to the habit of exploding every time someone asked him something as simple as, "Would you like fries with that?" As he sat there on the park bench, Shadow wondered to himself… would telling them about it help him? Even with how dumb it sounded and how vulnerable it made him look, was it worth it?

"Shadow, are you alright?"

For some reason at that moment, Shadow found himself not caring in the slightest. And hey, if others mocked him for it later, he could just walk up to them and beat the crap out of them. Right then, he just… he had to say it, no matter how incredibly stupid it made him sound. And besides that, he had a feeling that the two would follow him home unless he told them, and he did NOT want to deal with two stalkers that _cared._

Before he knew it, Shadow glanced at Sally, then Sonic, and spoke in his slouched position.

"No. I'm not alright. I haven't been 'alright' for some time now."

His voice was angry, rigid, and barely above a whisper, but it caught their attention all the same.

"It all went down-hill since I got back from my trip, and I just want everything to go back to normal. I don't want to… I don't _need_ another crappy circumstance going on in my life, and you know what? I definitely don't want it either. If I could, I'd go back and do the whole thing again until I got it right." Shadow told them as he glared past the two. "And I'm half tempted to do it, too."

Silence followed immediately afterward, causing Sonic and Sally to look at each other once before turning back at Shadow. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Shadow gritted his teeth and nearly rolled his eyes in annoyance, but he quickly shook it off and nodded. What was there for him to lose by that point? His dignity? Pft. Like he _had_ any "dignity" left.

"It's a long story." Shadow eventually sighed, his brow furrowed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"We don't have anything going on today, Shadow." Sally told him, "We're willing to listen! Right, Sonic?"

The princess turned to the blue hedgehog, and he merely shrugged. "It's all right with me. So long as I can have another doughnut, that is."

Shadow gritted his teeth and scowled at Sonic, but he picked up the box and held it out-reached to the hedgehog all the same. Sonic graciously opened the box and took another two pastries, biting into one and holding the other out to Sally, who took it without a single word. Then, the two looked at Shadow, and the Ultimate Lifeform took in a heavy breath.

Well, here went nothing.

Shadow started at the very beginning, on the day when he first bumped into Amy. He told them how on one of his runs, he had discovered the girl being attacked by Eggman (to which Sonic added a loud, "_I didn't mean to make her cry, honest! She hit me with her hammer for crying out loud!" _in his own defense) and exactly how the battle went down.

It was there in Shadow's retelling of his adventure that Sally added her own comment, "_That was when we ran into you guys, huh?"_ and it was also at that point in time that Shadow's clenched fists began to loosen and his voice became softer.

From there, he mostly went on without interruptions. He told them that after being hurt on a mission he had gone on that very night, Amy had volunteered to help him until he recovered enough to take care of himself. During that following week, he received the call telling him about the second journal, and without another thought, he left. Amy quickly followed, and soon they were searching for any sort of clue to lead them to the journal.

Eventually, they located Doctor Gerald Robotnik's grave, and he managed to find the journal hidden within the stone. Upon recovering it and reading it, he made the amazing discovery of his own parentage (and at that part, Sonic glanced at Sally with a confused look, as if he didn't understand the significance behind what he had said). It was less than a day later when Amy convinced him to look for them, or in the very least, try and find out more about them.

During the second half of their trip, the tight friendship between the two grew stronger and stronger. Slowly, Shadow's feelings for her began to grow. Her good mood left unintentional smiles on his face, and her optimism began to wear off on him. It pushed him to continue all the way to Topiary, where the aunt he never knew he had informed him that his parents were still alive, and it drove him to find them in the small community of Nightendale.

When he arrived, he found that his parents were alive and well, immortal thanks to the very blood that ran through his own veins. Soon after that, he learned that his childhood friend Maria was alive as well, thanks to the same miracle that had kept them all alive for so long (at that point, Sally's eyes grew wide in shock and she smiled for Shadow, though Sonic merely looked confused again).

From there, the trip calmed down quite a bit. He spent time getting to know the parents and siblings he had never known, with the sister he had lost too soon, and growing closer and closer to the girl that had been supporting him the entire way. And eventually, even though he still couldn't figure out exactly when it had happened, he had fallen in love with the girl.

He realized such at the community prom, and at the date he had asked her on a day later, he told her of his feelings. At first, everything was going great, but after he had actually confessed to her…

"She slapped me across the face. No warning, no reason why, nothing. She just did it." Shadow said, his voice becoming bitter and quiet again. "I didn't even have a chance to stand or say anything before she got up and started yelling at me."

Sally's brow knit together as Sonic bit into his fifth doughnut. "Amy yelled at you?"

Shadow nodded, anger flaring. "Accused me of playing with her feelings and told me that it was a heartless thing to. She flat-out called me a jerk."

Sonic swallowed his mouthful and sent a sympathetic look in his direction, "Sorry, buddy. That's rough."

The black hedgehog glanced off to the side. "After that, I stood up and started walking away. The moment she tried to get me to turn back around, I looked her in the eye and called her a brat. Then, I left."

The girl gasped at his words, and Sonic's expression changed into one of confusion and surprise. "Shadow!" Sally exclaimed, "That wasn't nice!"

He huffed in response and folded his arms, looking off in the opposite direction. "And everything she had just said to me wasn't very nice either, but I didn't really care at that point in time."

Both sides of the duo were obviously shocked at his behavior, but it was Sonic who spoke first, his doughnut all but forgotten for the moment. "Did she apologize?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes, but I left anyway."

"Why?" Sally asked.

The hedgehog glanced at both of them, his gaze having suddenly turned back into a glare. "Because it was a fair deal. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It was the very least I could do since she decided to give me the short end of the stick."

Sally shook her head, "Shadow, that's not—"

"Fair?" He exclaimed, his attention whipping back towards the princess. "Well let me tell you something, princess: life isn't fair! I've spent years trying to guard this dumb planet, and do you know what kind of thanks I get? Hate letters telling me to do the world a favor and go kill myself!" Shadow yelled, Sally shrinking back in her spot as a response. "I put my stupid freaking heart into that worthless confession of mine for Amy, but she proved to me that life just never gets better and that people never change! How is not fair for me to do the same for her?"

"You can't just—"

"I can do whatever the heck I want, thank you very much, _your highness_! If I want to be a jerk right back to all the ungrateful dirt-bags that I save everyday, I will be! If I want to punch some idiot in the face, I'll go ahead and do it because no one's gonna stop me or tell me otherwise! And if I want to yell at someone for throwing everything I've done for them right back in my face, you better believe me when I say that I w—"

CRACK!

The breath was suddenly knocked from his lungs, his mouth was left empty without a single word to cling to, and for an entire ten seconds, Shadow's mind went absolutely and completely blank. What the…?

"Sorry," Sonic spoke several seconds later, his voice even, mono-tone, and very, very cold as he readjusted the brown glove on his right hand. "My hand seems to have slipped. My bad."

A back-handed slap. It was so powerful that even after a full ten seconds after receiving it, it still stung. It still stung like _crazy. _Oh, there was no way that it wasn't going to bruise. No way on the face of Mobius.

"Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sally cried, "What on Mobius—why the heck—what is wrong with you?"

Sonic was unmoved by her question, and his stone cold expression didn't even change when he spoke. "It's not me you need to be asking that question, my dear."

The words sunk into Shadow's head within less than a second. Rage took hold of him, swallowed his entire being, and claimed control over his body. Before he could stop to think about what he was doing, he shot up off the bench, his form shaking and his hands balled into fists as he glared at Sonic, the fury causing him to full-out scream at the hero.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO PULL?"

The blue hedgehog was not amused by Shadow's rage, and it was as obvious as the clouds in the sky. "I'm not trying to pull anything." He replied, his voice calm and sharp at the same time.

"DON'T LIE TO ME, YOU IDIOT!"

Sonic's glare, though much more subtle than Shadow's scowl of I'm-going-to-rip-his-ears-off-and-shove-them-down- his-throat, cut right through him. "I'm not lying, Shadow. I'm not pulling any sort of trick on you."

Shadow growled, "I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART!"

Sonic shrugged, "Go ahead. I honestly don't care." He told him, taking a large bite out of his doughnut.

Sally swallowed and glanced around warily. "Oh my goodness, everyone's staring…"

Shadow whipped his head towards Sally, and his glare made her heart skip a beat. "GOOD! I'M GLAD THEY ARE, YOU SPOILED LITTLE—"

"Don't you DARE bring her into this!" Sonic yelled, pointing a finger in Shadow's face and causing the Ultimate Lifeform to face Sonic again. "She did absolutely nothing wrong, so don't you dare start yelling at her!"

Shadow gritted his teeth, "I'LL YELL AT WHOEVER I—"

"No you will NOT, Shadow the Hedgehog!" Sonic shouted back, poking Shadow hard in the chest. "You will NOT keep screaming at everyone, you will NOT keep throwing a fit, and you will NOT act like a selfish little BRAT!"

For some reason, the harshness in Sonic's voice surprised Shadow, and his words caused Shadow to take a step back. "You're acting like a child that's justifying a fight with '_she started it_,' and you know what? It's stupid! It's beyond stupid! You think that being mean to her will solve anything?"

The black hedgehog struggled to discover the right words, but as soon as he found them, he spat them out as quickly as he could. "She didn't—"

"I don't give a crap about what she did or didn't do to you, Shadow!" Sonic yelled, taking another quick bite of his doughnut. "You have to realize right now that any damage caused after she apologized was _your _fault, not hers!"

The single word _your _cut right through Shadow, and it nearly made his heart skip a beat. Excuse me?

"I don't know why she yelled at you and slapped you, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that her apology was her heart-felt. Even though I've only known her for awhile, I know that's she not the kind of person who would do that to someone without feeling at least somewhat guilty about it. She probably felt awful about what she did, and you know what kinda sucks about that for her? You didn't even give her the benefit of the doubt. You just left her right then and there."

Instantly, confusion took both Shadow and Sally, but Shadow got to the question first. "Only a little while?" Shadow asked, his brow furrowed, "What do you mean—"

"Don't interrupt me!" Sonic spat, sending a glare that nearly sent a shiver up and down Shadow's spine. "I'm not even halfway done with you, Shads!"

And suddenly he was Shads again? Shadow opened his mouth to question, but before he could, Sonic continued.

"You've been wallowing in your own cesspool of self pity and woe for days, but you haven't even stopped to think about how she's doing, have you? You probably don't even care that she's having as much of a hard time with this as you are, do you, Shads?"

The accusation dug up a fresh batch of anger in the black and red hedgehog. "What? What—how—what—why would you say that? Of course I've been worried about her! Why would you think that I don't feel—?"

"Because when she made her mistake, you spat in her face! When she stabbed you in the back, you turned around and did the same darn thing!"

Shadow's heart stopped for an entire second, and his eyes instantly widened. Why… why hadn't it ever occurred to him like that before?

As Shadow froze in his spot, the anger began to die off and replace itself with shame. Sonic continued to glare at him, finishing off his treat before speaking again. "You kept telling us in your story that you really cared for Amy. That you loved her and you wanted her to be happy. That she meant the world to you." Sonic waited for a reply, but the Ultimate Lifeform didn't speak. "Then tell me this, Shadow. Would you tell someone you love _that much _that they're a brat?"

The black hedgehog couldn't respond, and for a few moments, silence took over. His thoughts were swirling rapidly in his mind, and very swiftly, a headache began to settle in. Eventually, though, Sonic sighed, shaking his head as he took in a deep breath and folded his arms. For a moment he looked just like a parent, exasperated after chewing out his child for a bad decision.

"Before we met you, Sal and I were a couple, and we once got in a really bad fight. And when I say a bad fight, I mean an awful, screaming-and-slapping, calling-each-other-names sort of fight." From the corner of his eye, Shadow could see Sally cringe at Sonic's words.

"We refused to see eye to eye, to even listen to the other's opinion or idea. I didn't want to admit that I was partially wrong in the situation, and Sally didn't want to do it either. Do you know what happened because of that fight?" Shadow didn't even look at him, but Sonic continued nonetheless.

"The two of us broke up in front of everyone we knew. It was the most embarrassing thing either of us had ever been through, and it very nearly destroyed our friendship. Heck, it was what caused me to leave the Freedom Fighters and my family for so long! After that fight, I didn't see Sal for almost three years. And do you know what? Not a single moment has gone past that I haven't regretted it."

Very slowly, Shadow faced the hero, his gaze softened, and mixed with both sadness and guilt. "Eventually, we both got over the whole thing. We forgave each other and we moved past it. We grew up. But do you know how long it took?"

Shadow nodded. "Nearly three years, like you said."

Sonic nodded back to Shadow in response, "Just imagine everything the two of us missed. All the memories we could have made… wasted because we were too stubborn to apologize to each other. Because we convinced ourselves that 'I was right and she was wrong.' I could have done so much, but I'll never get that time back. Never."

The hedgehog paused, glanced at Sally, and for an entire half of a second, he smiled at her. "We still have all the time in the world ahead of us, but I still wish I could go back and fix everything. But you know what, Shads?" Sonic asked, looking back to Shadow, his smile fading. "You still have the chance to put the pieces together before it all goes wrong for sure."

A tiny leap of hope made Shadow jump, but before he could say anything, Sonic spoke again (holy crap, this guy could TALK when he found something to chat about). "I'm not saying that Pinkie didn't do anything wrong, because obviously, she did. What I _am_ saying, though, is that you need to forgive her for what she did do. Otherwise, you're no better than whatever she did to you. And besides,"

Shadow didn't even have the chance to jump out of the way before Sonic smacked him over the head. "Ouch!"

"You need to smile and be happy! Don't let one bad thing get you down!" Sonic told him as he twirled another doughnut Shadow hadn't seen him snatch on his pointer finger. "If you do, you might end up shooting someone in the street because you spilled your cup of milk on the floor. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

The black hedgehog held his hand over the spot Sonic had smacked as he stared at the hero, and suddenly, he saw a perfect image of himself shooting the guy with the stupid haircut in his mind. All over a cup of spilled milk, of course. And what did that make him do?

The one thing that _had _to be impossible because he was _Dark-one the Emo-hog._

He chuckled.

And Sonic flashed a toothy grin right in response.

"He's absolutely right, you know!" Sally suddenly jumped in, hopping up off the bench with a smile. "And I can speak from experience!"

"Since she used to be so up-tight and stuff." Sonic told him with a mischievous grin.

Sally swiftly elbowed him in the ribs, but he merely chuckled as she continued. "If you always worry yourself with the little things, you're never going to enjoy life. You have to give yourself a break once in your life. Otherwise, you'll always be angry and ornery and… well, ready to punch someone in the face."

"Like me!"

She nodded, "Yes, but there's almost always someone who wants to punch you in the face."

Sonic laughed, "Because I'm so amazing and they're jealous of my good looks." And with that, he took a bite out of the doughnut.

"You pig."

Shadow couldn't take his eyes away from the strange couple. The smart-mouthed, smart alecky hero and the tomboy, sassy princess. Two people that had gone through so much crap in their life—_losing their family, their homes, risking their lives for everything they believed in_—and that simply refused to let anything keep them down. They were so smiley and happy (sometimes annoyingly so), and they made it look so easy. So incredibly and completely easy.

"Is it really that simple?"

The two both looked at him, a bit confused.

"Hm?" Sonic hummed, his ears perking up.

"To be happy. Is it really that simple? Just… is that all you have to do? Forgive and let it go? Keep going and never let anything get you down?"

The smiles the two had been wearing morphed into full-fledged, toothy grins. "You know what they say, Shads." Sonic said, stuffing as much of the doughnut as he could into his mouth before he went on. "If you keep faking a smile, it's bound to get stuck eventually."

Sally nodded, "And trust us on this one, it really works. He speaks from experience."

The blue hedgehog smiled as wide as he possibly could at her, and the brown chipmunk-squirrel hybrid merely shook her head in response. "Heaven help us."

A soft smirk slowly made its way onto Shadow's face as he watched the two. The way they teased each other, found happiness in the simplest of things, enjoyed life… it made Shadow want to do the same thing. It made him want to take in a deep breath, throw his arms in the air, and as crazy as it sounded, bask in whatever light he had… and it reminded him of the way another young girl lived her life.

A young girl that he still cared very much for.

"Sonic, Sally," Shadow spoke, the calmness in his voice sending a wave of surprise through the both of them as they turned to face him. "Thank you."

They were silent for awhile, surprised with the change in mood that claimed him so suddenly, and quietly wondering if he was planning to smack them both in the back of the head. Then, when they realized that the soft smile on his face was genuine, they both grinned back and nodded to him in unison. Yes, talking to the two had helped, even with how silly and… well, crazy as it had turned out.

"I need to be on my way." Shadow finally told the two after a few moments of silence, "I'm sure that the commander has a new mission for me, and I need to apologize to Rouge."

Sonic snickered, "You're just a heart-breaker, aren't you, Shads?"

Shadow sent a semi-serious, semi-joking glare in Sonic's direction, and it merely made him laugh.

"Well," Sally sighed, elbowing Sonic again as he released a playful laugh, "I hope you have a good day, Shadow. We're going to go gather some more supplies and hopefully meet up with Sonic's uncle again. He's been helping us out with some renovation plans for Knothole."

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "Your uncle is in town?"

"Yep!" Sonic exclaimed, a large smile on his face. "His restaurant head-quarters are right here in town!"

Sally nodded in agreement. "He's also one of the only Freedom Fighters that wasn't in Knothole during Eggman's latest raid. I'm sure you heard about that?"

He nodded, "Yes, I did, and I wish you both the best of luck in getting everything back in place. I have a feeling that you're going to need it."

"Thanks." Sally said, exasperated. "And yes, we are."

"But we can do it!" Sonic exclaimed, snatching the box from its spot on the bench, taking out the final doughnut, and handing it to Sally before he destroyed the box with a quick chaos incantation. "Nothing's going to stop us. Isn't that right, Sal?"

She nodded and smiled, "Of course!"

Sonic grinned back at her, then looked at Shadow and smiled. "See ya, Shads!"

The two turned away from Shadow, and Sally waved back at him, "Later!"

Shadow smiled and nodded towards the two as they began to walk off, but before they could take more than ten steps away, a thought suddenly struck Shadow.

"One more thing before you leave, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog turned on the spot, eyebrows raised in amusement and surprise. "Yeah?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes and spoke in a careful, sharp voice. "Who gave you those gloves?"

Sonic furrowed his brow, obviously thrown off by the misplaced question. "What? These?" He asked, pulling his hands up to show off his fingerless, leather gloves.

Shadow nodded, and Sonic glanced off to the side as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, um… I don't remember, really. It was a long time ago, and… I can't really… sorry, it's been a long day. My mind's kina frazzled, Shads."

The Ultimate Lifeform merely hummed. "As I thought."

"What?" Sonic asked, his brow knitting together in confusion.

For a moment, Shadow didn't speak. "Tell me, Sonic." But when he did, he raised a pointed finger towards Sonic, his voice suddenly dark. "When exactly did you lose your memories?"

Sonic's eyes widened, and Sally's expression morphed into one of pure bewilderment. The hero opened his mouth to speak, but before he got the chance, Shadow gritted his teeth together and with one quiet chaos incantation, reached out to Sonic's mind.

Within the blink of an eye, Shadow was met by millions and billions of the hedgehog's thoughts and recollections. He found memories of Sonic's own adventures, of Sally, of Knothole, of great battles and death defying stunts… but of no one other than him and the princess. Where Eggman and enemies would have lurked, where his family members should have smiled, and even where his dearest friends should have laughedwere as blank and empty as could be. Not even the smallest trace of them was left. Not even anything of himself dwelled, much to Shadow's surprise.

His brow furrowed in confusion as he sifted through the Sonic's mind, searching for even the tiniest of hints, even the nearly insignificant memory of Shadow giving Sonic his new gloves. How was that even possible? The Ultimate Lifeform himself had had amnesia before, but when he had been dealing with a lack of memories, he at least had vague flashbacks to work with. Sonic… Sonic had nothing. It was like every memory had been ripped from his entire timeline…

_But that's not possible! _Shadow thought as he growled. _You can't just erase memories like that! There's always something left! Always!_

The Ultimate Lifeform intensified his search, ripping and tearing through Sonic's remaining dreams as fast as could. He saw Sonic as a child, looking for the parents he couldn't remember anymore, crying for the loss of his family and home, fighting an enemy that in his memories, had no face, talking to a friend without a voice or any features, falling, falling, falling, and—

Two unnaturally cold eyes. Two eyes that made a wave of fear wash over his body, that left the breath caught in the back of his throat, that nearly made Shadow's heart stop right then and there. Two eyes that he recognized.

Not… not possible. Not even—

"That's enough!" A voice, strained and struggling to speak properly, suddenly reached in and with one strong push, hurled Shadow from the blue hedgehog's memories and back into reality. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to stay out of other people's heads? Gosh, I'm going to need some aspirin after this."

When Shadow found himself in tune with his own body again, he quickly discovered that his heart was racing and he was panting. He could hear Sonic doing the same, as well as the confused and worried sounds of Sally's attention whipping from hedgehog to hedgehog.

"What just happened?" She asked, "What's going on?"

Neither one replied. The two simply stayed in their spots, panting for breath, frozen in the position of leaning over with their hands resting on their knees. They had seen the same things, and at the moment, coming to terms with that last image was much more difficult than actually regaining control of their own lungs. Eventually, though, the two managed to regulate their breathing enough to stand up and face each other once again.

"I see, then." Shadow finally spoke, his voice still a bit shaky. "You've made a deal with death, and now you've paid the price." Sonic said nothing in response, and Shadow smirked. "A gutsy move, Sonic. You've actually managed to surprise me."

His words seemed to surprise Sonic slightly, but before the blue hedgehog could even think of saying anything to him, Shadow nodded, turned, and began to walk off. "Good luck, you two. You really _are _going to need it."

He could hear Sally ask Sonic, "What does he mean by that? Sonic, what just happened? Are you okay?" before Shadow walked out of ear-shot. Indeed, the two were going to need all the luck they could get. But Shadow? He wasn't going to need any.

Shadow knew exactly where he was going and how he was going to get there. He knew what he wanted, and who he wanted on his side. But most of all, he knew who he cared for the most, and at that moment, he knew exactly what he was going to say to her the next time he saw her. All he had needed to remember it was a good smack.

Chuckling, Shadow shook his head. "I guess the third time's the charm, huh?"

As he walked down the sidewalk, the first drop of rain crashed against the concrete next to him. A storm was settling in, but at that moment, Shadow didn't mind. In fact, to be completely honest, it made him a bit grateful. It was much better to dance in the rain then to complain and scream about it at every chance he got. And as he walked, he could help but ponder to himself. _Would anything ever grow if there wasn't at least a little rain in-between the sunshine? _

"Don't worry Amy," Shadow whispered, a soft smile on his face. "I won't be long. I'm just going to give myself a little break first."

The rain gradually picked up, and Shadow looked up to the sky, thoughtful and filled with hope.

* * *

><p>I can't even tell you guys how much fun I had writing this one. :D Angry Shadow is quite amusing to write... XD Quite amusing indeed! It also seems as if we have an idea as to why Sonic didn't recognize Amy at the beginning...<p>

And wow, I sure did get this chapter out quickly! :) It's only been about a week and a half since the last chapter was released. :D The next chapter shouldn't take too long either...

Thanks to Rouge the Batgirl, Lightning rose, xXTwIlIgHt the wOlFXx, ShadowEmpress76, Blackpetals23, Project Shadow, Mia, LordCooler, Shadamyrose3, Amy roxs1, and Parker117 for the reviews! Your continued support means so much to me! Thank you guys, so much!

Until next time! :D


	29. And Then My Heart Started Beating

** Chapter 29: And Then My Heart Started Beating**

Shaking his head as he clamped his fully packed suitcase shut, Shadow the Hedgehog sighed, readjusting the phone he was holding up to his right ear. "Rouge, I'm not getting you a souvenir. No. No. I just told you no!" He exclaimed, his voice neither angry nor too serious, but somewhat goofy as he spoke. "I'm not going to buy you anything with _my_ money! Besides, isn't that your boyfriend's job?"

Shadow had to hold the phone away from his ear for a few moments after that comment.

"Okay, okay," Shadow whispered once it was safe to speak to Rouge once again without blowing an ear-drum. "He's not your boyfriend. He's just someone you like to flirt with, tease continuously, hang out with as much as possible, and you know, kiss when you think nobody's watching."

The second time around, he was able to pull the phone away from his ear before she started yelling at him.

"You know I'm kidding, Rouge." Shadow said, nearly laughing as he spoke into the phone. "Even though everyone knows that it's true. Not even he can deny, and he's been trying for years."

Shadow simply laughed at Rouge's less-than-pleased reply, sighing once more before continuing. "Well, I'm glad you're at least accepting it. I'll be looking forward to the wedding! You know, when you guys finally decide to get married, that is."

Rouge growled at him, but Shadow merely smiled and chuckled. Ever since he had decided to finally start teasing his friend right back a few years ago, he had discovered a whole new world of entertainment at work. Especially when it came to torturing her about the relationship she had with a certain, hard-headed guardian… that particular subject always got a really good reaction out of her, mostly because she never once denied it.

Of course, even if she tried, Shadow had all the evidence he needed to prove her otherwise.

Several more minutes of small chat went on before Shadow passed the phone to the other ear, taking in a deep breath as he glimpsed about his apartment. "Well, I'm almost done packing. I need to get off the phone now. I still need to make another call before my flight leaves."

Shadow's brow furrowed at her words, and for the first time since he had got on the phone, the hedgehog growled in reply. "No, I'm not calling Amy yet; I already told you that I'm going to talk to her when I get back! What? No, I'm not taking a private jet! Why on Mobius would I do that? Just because I can afford it doesn't mean I will. What?" The black hedgehog narrowed his eyes. "I'm gong to hang up if don't start making sense."

Rouge huffed, her voice both filled with annoyance and goofiness as she spoke. "I said, you better have fun on your vacation, or I'm going to kick you in the butt so hard that you're not going to be able to sit on it for weeks! You got that?"

Shadow's eyes widened a bit at first, but a smile quickly took over. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. You have a good week too. Take care." And with that, he pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call. What weird friends he had.

The hedgehog smirked, a soft laugh at his lips as he looked down at the home phone once more, his grin gradually fading as his eyes scanned over the device again. As he had told Rouge only moments before, he still had another call to make. And also like he had informed his friend, it wasn't Amy that he wasn't going to call before he left.

Yet for some reason, he was still anxious to dial.

He had only seen the number once before, but it had been engraved in his mind all the same. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was pressing in the combination; his brow knit together when he clicked the call button and pulled the phone up to his ear. His heart was suddenly racing, and for a single moment, he hoped that it would just keep ringing and ringing…

"Hello?"

But for some reason that he simply couldn't grasp, his heart calmed at the sound of the voice that greeted him.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

For a moment, he didn't know what to say to her. Then, with a smile and a soft voice, Shadow spoke.

"Hey there. It's, um… well, it's me."

The voice didn't respond right off the bat, but after a few moments of pondering, a loud gasp filled his ears. "Shadow! Oh my goodness, Shadow, it's—oh, Henry! Henry, it's Shadow! Shadow's on the phone!"

Said hedgehog smiled, nearly laughing as Rita continued to cry out in excitement. "Henry, get over here!"

A lower voice that was just barely audible replied in a surprised voice, "Shadow?"

"Yes, it's Shadow, now get over here!" The black hedgehog laughed again as a dinging noise sounded from the phone. "You're on speaker now!"

"Thanks. I—"

"Shadow, we've been worried sick about you!" Henry shouted, making Shadow cringe in his spot. "We've been trying to contact you for days! Why on the face of Mobius did you leave so suddenly? You didn't even stop to say goodbye!"

Shadow was speechless for an entire three seconds, his eyes wide as he tried to process what exactly was going on. He was getting chewed out by his father. His _father _for goodness sakes!It was funny in more ways than Shadow could count.

"I was going to, but I got a bit carried away because of… well, everything that happened." He finally informed them as he glanced around his bedroom. Where exactly had he put that darn chaos emerald again?

"You mean what happened between you and Amy?" Rita asked before suddenly taking in a sharp breath, "Speaking of which, you left the poor dear in the rain, and on your date with her too, no less!

Shadow nodded, "I know, I know. I'm going to apologize to her about it as soon as I can!"

"You haven't apologized to her yet?" They exclaimed in unison.

His ears ringing slightly, Shadow cringed for the second time within the call. Sheesh, people sure did like screaming in his ear on the phone. "I haven't gotten to it yet. Heck, I haven't even talked to her since the date. When I got back home I was… being a bit of jerk to everyone, to put it nicely."

His father hummed, and after a few moments, he asked, "Really?"

"Yep."

"Well, how about now?" Rita asked as Shadow stepped out of his room, his eyes washing over his apartment in a desperate search for the green jewel. "Do you still feel like you're being a jerk? Or have you gotten over it enough for you to talk to her?"

Shadow merely let out a "ha," smirking as he rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm _way_ over it. Sonic took care of that a few days ago." He sighed, rubbing his still bruised cheek as if to attest to it (it had been three days, and it _still_ hadn't healed completely).

Henry hummed, "That blue friend of yours?"

"Yeah, that's Sonic. He slapped the jerk right out of me. Literally."

Rita took in another sharp breath at Shadow's words, while Henry simply chuckled. Obviously, neither of them had ever watched the news. Shadow was always shown in a beat up state on the news…

Eventually, Shadow chuckled along with his father, a light smile resting on his face as he talked. "Anyways… I just wanted to call and say thank you. And I'm sorry that I did leave so soon. I was a bit frazzled and I wasn't thinking clearly when I left. I honestly didn't mean to be so rude."

Rita cooed, "Oh sweetie, thank you for apologizing." And Shadow's cheeks turned into a rosy shade of pink as he continued to scope out for the gem within his kitchen. "We're just glad that you're okay. It means a lot to us that you called."

Henry simply hummed in agreement, making Shadow smirk yet again. Maybe that was where he had gotten it from…

"And I don't mean to cut our conversation so short," Shadow then told them, his eyebrows rising in surprise when he finally located the emerald in the fridge of all places. "But I have to get going. I have a flight leaving for the Star Islands in a few hours, and I need to get going. Getting through security takes forever now days…" he sighed, pausing for another few moments before he spoke again. "I'm really glad that I finally found you guys. You… you two really do mean a lot to me. I'll make sure to call more often, alright?"

"Sounds good to us!" Rita exclaimed, "Have fun on your vacation, sweetie!"

"I will." Shadow replied, grabbing the emerald as he grinned. "And say hi to Maria and Tina for me!"

"Can do." Henry said. "And Shadow?"

Shadow froze in spot, his eyebrows raised as he replied with a simple, "Hm?"

"Don't be a stranger."

He smiled and nodded, eyes closed as he exhaled. "Yeah."

On that happy note, the call ended, and with a deep breath, Shadow opened his eyes. It was finally time to go.

He nodded to himself, walking off towards his room once again. The moment he returned from his vacation, the second he stepped back into Station Square, he was going to run up to Amy Rose and let him know how sorry he was and how much she meant to him. Even if she didn't care anymore, even if she hated him, he was going to make sure she at least knew that much. He owed her that much.

He wanted her to at least know that much…

* * *

><p>She was sure, absolutely certain, one-hundred percent positive that she had cried all the tears that she was capable of. Her eyes felt dry, her voice sore and hoarse, and her spirits as flat as could be.<p>

_I've really lost him, haven't I? _

As Amy sat on the couch, her legs pulled up against her chest and her eyes puffy from day upon day of crying, she couldn't help herself from hoping that he'd eventually come back. That he'd run up to her, take her in his arms, and tell her that he forgave her, that he understood that she had been scared. She wanted him to let her know that there was nothing to be afraid of, that he'd always be there for her… but that louder voice in her head kept convincing her otherwise.

_He really, really hates me. _

A woman's intuition, common sense, whatever the heck it was, it had forced that idea down her throat. That after everything that had happened on their journey, after all the good things that passed between the two, all it took were a handful of words to break it apart.

_I don't want him to hate me. I really, really don't want it…_

And the slap. She couldn't forget the slap.

"Amy?"

_I don't want…_

"Amy, snap out of it!"

"Chao, chao!"

Amy blinked, her heart suddenly skipping a beat at the all too familiar sound of Cream and Cheese's voices. Oh no, had she spaced out on them again? Swallowing, Amy looked at the two (who were sitting off to her left) in a desperate attempt to beat them to the punch and tell them that she was fine.

She didn't even get the chance to open her mouth, though, for the moment her eyes met Cream's, the young rabbit spoke. "Amy, were you thinking about Mr. Shadow again?"

"Chao, chao?" Cheese added, his voice equally concerned as his owner's.

Amy swallowed, glancing off to the side, her shoulders falling in the process. "I was…"

"It's okay to be sad about it Amy. Really, it is!" Cream cut in, "You can't keep everything in. If you want to talk about it, we're willing to listen."

She simply stared at the two, her gaze empty and frail and sad all at the same time. "It's… it's not fair."

A near smile gracing her face, Cream nodded. "You're right Amy, it's not fair. But if Shadow's really everything you said he is, then he'll—"

"It's not fair for me to sit here and complain to you two."

Cream gritted her teeth, a bit surprised, angry, and saddened by Amy's words. "Amy, you know that that's not what I meant! Stop doing this to yourself!"

The girl said nothing in response, and Cream growled. "Amy, you can't keep beating yourself up for this! If you do, you're going to—" But before she could even think of finishing, the doorbell of all things rang.

Both Cream and Cheese nearly jumped at the sound, but Amy stayed frozen in her spot. "Ohhh, why does there have to be a visitor now of all times?" Cream exclaimed, shooting up out of her spot before Amy couldn't even look up toward the door. "I don't mean to be rude, but their timing is terrible!"

Despite Cream's slight annoyance at such, the young girl rushed to the door and opened it all the same.

"Yo, rabbit! Is Pinkie here?"

"Her name is Cream, not rabbit!"

Cream released a gasp at the sight of the two. "Mr. Sonic, Miss. Sally! This is a surprise. Well, um, she's right in—whoa!"

At the sound of the two voices and the mention of their names, Amy's head shot up, and her daze was broken right in half. What the heck? Why were Sonic and Sally suddenly at her house? And how had they even found it in the first pla—

"If it isn't Pinkie McBigghammer herself!" Sonic exclaimed as he waltzed into Amy's living room, Sally trailing closely after him, her expression just as surprised as Amy's was. "Long time no see!"

Amy's eyes widened slightly when her eyes settled upon the two, and without another word, she sat up off the couch. "What are you two doing here? And why are you both soaking wet?"

At the mention of being "wet," Sonic violently shook himself, flinging water upon Sally, Cream, Cheese, and Amy all at once. They squealed in unison, throwing their arms up in a vain attempt to block the droplets from claiming them.

"It's raining today!" Sonic explained after he had shaken himself to his heart's content. "Haven't you looked out your window today?"

Amy opened her mouth to speak, but as so many others had been doing in the past several days, Sally beat him to it.

"You'll have to excuse him," She told Amy, sending a glare in Sonic's direction. "For some reason, he's forgetting his manners!"

Sonic was unmoved by Sally's glare, smiling as he folded his arms and glanced around. "So, what's up, Pinkie? You got any food? I'm starving!"

Starving? Had he come to her house just to raid her kitchen? Making her way over to the group that had suddenly formed in her house, Amy nodded. "Well yes, but—"

By the time she had blinked twice, Sonic had dashed to the pantry and started sorting his way through her food. "Good! I'm just going to help myself, if you don't mind."

What… on… Mobius? At that very moment in time, Amy Rose didn't know who was in more shock at Sonic's actions. Cream, who was appalled by the lack of manners Sonic was displaying, herself, who didn't know what to say as he started sorting through her pantry in an attempt to find something to snack on, or Sally, who was ready to tackle the hedgehog for being so rude.

Of course, it was Sally once again who got to him first.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, that's Amy's food!" She yelled, rushing into the kitchen as Sonic pulled out a bag of Cheetos. "You put that away right now! At least ask her before you start eating her food, for crying out loud!"

"Hm. I wonder if these really _are _made with real cheese." Sonic pondered, throwing his free arm out to catch Sally, twirl her around, pull hold her close to him, and clamp his hand over her mouth as he smiled. "Only one way to find out!"

Without a single moment to question whether he was sane anymore, Sonic dumped a mouthful of the snacks into his mouth. Sally let out an angry, muffled gasp, but the only thing Amy, Cream and Cheese could do was stare, their mouths hanging open in wordless gaps. What on Mobius had gotten into Sonic? Though the hedgehog was rude on occasion, he never had the nerve to do anything quite as brash as barge into someone's house and start eating all their food. It was preposterous!

While Sally swung and thrashed about in an attempt to hit him, Sonic swallowed his mouthful, nodding to himself before looking thoughtfully at Amy.

"He's leaving, you know."

At first, she didn't understand what he had meant, and her brow furrowed together in confusion. "What?" She asked, Sally's expression also morphing into one of confusion as Sonic shrugged.

"Today. He's taking a plane and heading out."

Amy started folding her arms, shooting an incredulous look at the hedgehog. "What do you mean by he's lea—" But she stopped the moment it clicked in her mind, her heart skipping a beat in process. "Shadow."

Sonic smiled and pointed a finger at her. "And bingo was his name-o."

She swallowed, her eyes growing wide as she stared at the hedgehog. "Wh-why is his leaving? When's he coming back?"

He shook his head, releasing his grip on Sal as he looked into the bag yet again. "He's not _coming _back, Pinkie." Sonic told her, her heart dropping the moment the words found her. "He's getting permanently reassigned to a different area. The only reason he'd come back would be for a mission, and even then, it'd only be for a few days tops."

Frozen in her spot for a few precious seconds, Amy viciously shook her head. "No. No, he can't be leaving. His home is here in Station Square. He wouldn't just leave because someone told him to."

Sonic hummed, his head tilting to the side as he considered her words. "That's true. But if he was ordered to go, that would be a different story."

Her body seized up, and for an entire moment, Amy imagined never seeing Shadow again. Never laughing along with him at all her dumb jokes, never thanking him when he did little things like open the door for her, never staring into his eyes until he questioned her on her motives… it sickened her. To be without Shadow ever again… the very idea of it… no. She couldn't do it, she simply couldn't.

"He can't leave!" Amy shouted as she began to fiddle nervously with the bracelet on her left wrist, her voice hoarse and barely able to carry her words. "It's not fair of him to—"

And then, suddenly, as her right hand raced over the jewelry sitting on her left wrist, she realized something.

"_A question real quick. Are you okay without one of your bracelets?" Shadow nodded as a response and Amy grabbed his wrist. "Hold on a second."_

_Carefully, Amy took off one of Shadow's bracelets (otherwise known as inhibitor rings) and then took one of hers off. "Hold your wrist a little higher." Wordlessly, Shadow complied. Amy grabbed her bracelet and put it on Shadow's wrist, then put his on hers. She smiled, "There."_

Within an instant, Amy's gaze fell downwards, her eyes widening when they met the bracelet she was grasping.

_Shadow looked at her bracelet now on his wrist. It was a little thicker than his and just a hint heavier, but it was also a bit warmer. Curiously, he looked at her. _

_ She smiled, "I've never once lost my bracelets. Never. Now listen carefully, cause I'm not going to repeat myself." she paused for a second and Shadow nodded for Amy to continue. "If you ever get the idea to go off by yourself, I'm going to find you. As long as you have that on, you and me are going to be inseparable, alright?"_

Inseparable.

"His bracelet." Amy whispered, her voice barely audible in its broken state. "I still have his bracelet."

"Amy?" Cream asked, her tone mixed with concern and a hint of hope for her friend. "Are… are you okay?"

"Chao, chao?"

For a moment, the only ingredient in Amy's gaze was shock. Then, suddenly, it became so much more. A drive, a fire that had been extinguished for far too long flared, burning so brightly that within the blink of an eye, it was no longer a ghost standing in Amy's spot.

"I have to give it back to him!" She shouted, scrambling past her friends so suddenly that both Cream and Cheese let out a surprised cry, Sally merely gasping as the pink hedgehog pushed past them. "I can't just let him leave without it!"

Sally, Cream, and Cheese stared at her, their eyes wide as she fumbled with the doorknob, suddenly no longer remembering how the stupid thing worked.

The moment she swung it open, though, Sally blurted out the question that was on almost everyone's mind. "What are you doing, Amy?"

The girl turned on the spot, looked Sally in the eye, and cried out in a voice that was strong even in its weakened form. "I'm going after the dumby I fell in love with!"

And without even closing the door, Amy ran off into the rain.

"Oh my goodness, she didn't even grab a jacket!" Cream exclaimed moments after her friend had dashed out the door.

Sonic nodded, popping another mouthful of Cheetos into his mouth before smiling. "Indeed, Cream. Indeed."

Sally was silent for a few moments as she stared off in Amy's direction, her brow knitting together as her thoughts wandered. "Sonic," She eventually started, turning to face the hero in the process. "High ranking officers of G.U.N. don't get relocated. They get to chose where they live."

Sonic simply smirked. "I know that, Sal. But she didn't, now did she?"

Both Cream and Sally looked at Sonic with widened eyes, while an exclamation point popped into existence above Cheese's head.

"Sonic," Sally eventually spoke, her voice filled with disbelief. "Were you… did you just…"

He shot her one of his award winning grins and laughed. "Sometimes, I really do know what I'm doing, Sal, whether you believe it or not."

A smile gradually made its way onto Sally's face, but before she could say anything else to him, the hedgehog tossed the bag of Cheetos off to the side and grabbed her hand. "Now let's go. I want to see it when they finally get together."

The princess only had the chance to grab Cream's hand, and Cream only barely had the time to clasp onto her chao before Sonic was off.

* * *

><p>The black hedgehog's thoughts weren't particularly complex as his gaze followed the paths that the raindrops on the taxi window were traveling, but they <em>did<em> manage to keep his eyes off the road. They were dumb little things that popped into his head, obvious statements that didn't actually cross his mind very often. Things he never would have actually said out loud.

_I should have brought an umbrella. _

_Did I pack sunscreen? _

_Maybe I should get Rouge and the others a souvenir. _

Sometimes, they made him chuckle to himself, and other times, they made his expression transform itself into a look of wow-that-was-stupid. All in all, though, they were small talk in the form of ideas and daydreams, and they did a great job of distracting him.

Eventually, though, Shadow was able to shake himself out of the dumb thoughts long enough for him to look up at the cloudy sky and actually think about things that mattered. He had decided to take a taxi rather than run or chaos control to the airport, mostly to save himself from getting soaked and keep from causing a panic (because flashing lights at an airport didn't exactly scream safe). It did cost a bit, granted, but it was a small fee that he didn't mind paying. Plus, it gave him time to think more about everything that was going on in the near future.

What he was going to do on his vacation, all the sights he was going to see when he was there, what he was going to tell Amy when he returned… those thoughts and more littered his mind as he watched a burst of lightning explode from the sky.

"Hm." Shadow sighed, glancing forward again to see if they had made more progress. "I forgot how… slow driving in the city was."

It was as if the driver had heard his words, for within the next five seconds, the taxi suddenly shifted off into a slightly faster lane, causing Shadow to smile and nod to himself.

Indeed, the faster he left for his vacation, the better.

* * *

><p>It was the oddest, fastest parade anyone had every seen in Station Square, and it was as simple as that. A flash of pink leading the group, a blur of blue trailing close behind, a brown shape directly on its tail, a yellow shadow only a few steps behind, and another, lighter blue flew across the city, dashing past other passerby Mobians and humans at a speed that was nearly impossible to follow. Most of the citizens that witnessed it were only able to let out a screech in surprise when they soared past, but their cries were always followed by a chorus of very different replies.<p>

"I'm so sorry!"

"Whoops, sorry bud!"

"My bad, we're in a big hurry!"

"Please excuse us, mister!"

"Chao, chao!"

It was an odd sight to all who were watching, but for the leader of the group—for Amy Rose—it was the very opposite of odd. To Amy, it was a race against time, against the world spinning, against the setting sun. She only had so much time left before he was gone forever, and even if she couldn't stop him from leaving, the very least she could do was let him know that she cared.

That she _loved _him for crying out loud.

Oh, there was no way on the face of Mobius that she was going to let him leave!

"Amy!" Sally eventually cried out, rapidly pressing a series of commands on the watch that sat upon her left wrist. "You need to turn left up here! There's a short-cut coming up, and you can't afford to miss it!"

The girl didn't respond with spoken words, but she nodded nonetheless. Wordlessly, she took the corner with a sharp turn, the four others mirroring the move in perfection before they returned to their regular running pace and dashed across the street. The horns from several vehicles blared when they flew across the avenue, but they went mostly unacknowledged as the group ran onwards.

"How much farther do we have to go, Sally?" Amy cried out after running two more blocks, her face red and her breathing heavily labored.

The princess looked back down at her watch, gritting her teeth together in the process. "Two more miles! It's mostly straight roads from here!"

Nodding, Amy swallowed and took in another deep breath. She was almost there. Just a little bit more running, just a tiny bit more and Shadow would finally be within her grasp. She only hoped that—

The blast of a car horn, loud, angry, and suddenly in the middle of her path made Amy rapidly skid to a stop, anger flaring the moment her eyes settled upon the vehicle. How dare them! Didn't they know that walkers had the right-of-way? And didn't they realize she was in a hurry?

"Hey!" Amy shouted, half tempted to take out her hammer while the others followed suit and braked to a halt. "Why don't you watch where you're going, you cre—"

The girl's words caught in the back of her throat the moment she saw who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car. "Who are you calling a creep, Amy? Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to call others names?"

"Maria!" Amy exclaimed, eyes wide in shock as the group behind her tried to get a glimpse of the girl they had heard so much about. "What on Mobius are you doing here?"

Maria grinned, "We came here to look for you and Shadow, since you both left so suddenly!" She told her, pointing back towards the driver. Amy took a quick glance past Maria, her eyebrows rising when they met Shaun, who simply smiled at her as Maria continued. "The moment you were out the door that morning, we followed after you in Shaun's car. It took quite awhile to find Station Square, granted, but we're here now and that's what matters!"

"Plus the car broke down once." Shaun added, "There was that."

Amy nodded rapidly, her patience wearing thin despite the fact that she was happy to see the two. "Yes, I'm so sorry about that, but I really—"

"Say," Maria quickly cut in, her brow knitting together in curiosity as she looked past Amy. "Who all do you have with you?"

Rolling her eyes and bouncing in her spot, Amy nearly growled. She really didn't have time for this! She loved Maria to death, honestly she did, but she had to go! "Sonic, Sally, Cream, and Cheese! They're my friends; you're my friend, now I have to get getting before Shadow leaves!"

"Oh, so this is Sonic and Sally! Well, it's nice to meet you tw—hey wait!" Maria exclaimed, her eyes growing wide as Amy's words clicked together. "What do you mean Shadow's leaving?"

By the time Maria had asked the question, Amy, Sonic, Sally, Cream, and Cheese were already across the street and half a block down. Her eyes wide as she watched them, Maria turned to Shaun and cried out, "After them!"

The sheep nodded, "Right!" and just as the light turned green, he made a hasty turn off to the left.

* * *

><p>"Sir, we've arrived at the airport." The driver announced upon coming to a complete stop. "That will be thirty-nine rings."<p>

Shadow nodded at the man, and with a snap of his fingers, he summoned the exact amount needed, causing the driver's eyes to widen in surprise. He handed it to the driver without a single word of explanation, smiling at him before opening his door and stepping into the rainy weather. Sheesh, he really should have brought an umbrella.

"Oh well," Shadow sighed, snapping his fingers once again to summon his suitcase by his side. "I won't be out here long."

He released a short laugh, looking up to the airport with a smile.

He was on his way…

* * *

><p>Amy Rose's heart was racing at the speed of sound, and that much she was sure of. Her lungs were starving for proper oxygen, for any air at all, and her cheeks were burning red, blue, and purple. She was almost there! Only a few more blocks, only a tiny bit more and she'd reach her goal.<p>

_Oh please, please let him still be there! _She thought, her eyes nearly tearing up at the thought of him taking off in the plane. _Don't let him leave without giving me the chance to at least tell him! Please, please, please! _

The group following her was also struggling to continue onward as such a pace (other than Sonic, of course, for the little jog was child's play to him). Several times, both Sally and Cream stumbled, and after they had hit the half-way point, Cream had had to resort to carrying her exhausted chao (though Sonic had been kind enough to take up the chore). Even Maria and Shaun, chasing after the group in their beat up junker-car were having trouble weaving through traffic, horns blaring in their direction every time they changed lanes in an attempt to keep the group within their sights.

_Let me get there in time. Let me at least be able to see him, talk to him! _

But even with the difficulties that the others were going through to keep up, it was obvious that it was Amy who wanted it the most. It was pure truth that she was willing to do anything to get to him in time. Every instant her pace slowed by even the smallest bit, she'd quickly speed up again, pushing herself to the point that her legs were burning and screaming for her to stop, pumping her arms as she ran as if by doing so, she'd go faster.

_Just this once, just this one time, let me get what I want! _

It wasn't necessary to her existence or even the happiness she'd experience for the rest of her life, but right then, it was what she wanted more than anything else in the world. And that was what made it all the more important. The choice wasn't enforced upon her, it wasn't some almighty force of nature demanding her to go after him, no, it was her own heart leading her there. She wanted him in her life, no matter what would happen.

"THERE!" Sonic suddenly shouted, snapping Amy from her thoughts when he pointed forwards. "I see him! He's getting out of that cab!"

Amy's eyes instantly shot towards the yellow figure, her heart skipping a thousand beats when they reached the black and red form standing directly next to it.

It was him. It was really him.

Shadow.

Both excitement and fear swallowed the girl whole as she sped up, her heart racing as the cab took off and Shadow's suitcase appeared in his hand. She had made it; she had found him in the nick of time. Yes, she was going to be able to talk to him! The chance to tell him how she felt was a reality, and now all she had to do was grasp it! It was all hers!

But so was the chance of it all crumbling into dust.

Her body suddenly froze, and without another word, Amy skidded to a stop.

What… what was she supposed to say to him, tell him? Really, in all honesty, what _could _have been said? I'm sorry for ripping up your confession, yelling at you, and slapping you across the face, but I actually really love you, Shadow. Do you think I can have another chance? Yeah right. Would he even take her seriously after what had happened on the date?

She was only a few feet away from him, but within the hussle and bussle of the city, he had failed to hear her approach. At the moment, he was staring up at the entrance of the airport, as still as could be, quiet within the rain. What… what…

"What are you doing?" A whisper from behind called out, making her head whip around towards Sonic. "Go after him! Don't let him get away!"

"Amy, just do it! Don't be scared!" Cream quickly added afterword.

"Chao, chao!"

She stared at the three for a moment, scared and shaking like a child in the dark with a closet full of monsters. But… what if he yelled at her? What if he returned her slap tenfold? What if, what if, what if—

"Don't lose him like I almost lost Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, her voice nearly at speaking volume. "You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you do!"

Amy's heart skipped a beat at the words of her friend. She couldn't… she couldn't… no, she wouldn't lose him. Never! NEVER!

That tiny hint of courage remaining in Amy's body, that itty-bitty voice that told her to go after her dreams abruptly took over, causing her to spin on her heel. Shadow had started walking towards the door, suitcase in hand, head held high. No! No, no, no, stop, stop, stop! Her head whipping around wildly, Amy gritted her teeth. She still had no idea what to say to him, how to even get his attention. There was nothing she could have said that would have made him turn around, but—

Before she knew what she was doing, Amy had torn the bracelet off her left wrist, looked up at the black and red hedgehog, and thrown it as hard as she could at the back of his head.

Cream and Cheese gasped and covered their mouths.

Sally gapped and cringed.

Sonic face-palmed.

Shadow released a loud, "Ouch!" dropping his suitcase to rub the back of his head.

And Amy gazed at him with wide eyes, questioning her sanity as she took in a series of heavy breaths.

Silence claimed Amy and the others as they watched the hedgehog turn to look at the bracelet on the ground. "What the…?" He questioned, rubbing his head as he leaned over to pick up the jewelry. "What on Mobius? Why the heck did someone just—" And he froze dead in his tracks, his heart stopping when his eyes settled on the girl who was shaking in the rain, her hands balled into fists as she watched him.

Amy.

It was Amy.

For a long time, the two were absolutely still. Silence had descended, thick and heavy, almost awkward as they watched each other, waiting. Waiting, letting their words hang on their tongues until the other moved, ran off, spoke, anything. They were motionless in their spots, hoping to witness proof, to know for sure that the person in front of them was real and not some desperate daydream constructed by their imaginations.

It seemed as if years passed before eventually, Amy took in a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak. "What are you doing here?" But as she had expected, Shadow barely beat her to it, his voice unnaturally neutral and somewhat uncomfortable as he spoke.

She swallowed, glancing off to the side and rubbing her arm when she replied. "I… came because you were leaving."

Shadow raised a brow in confusion. "Yeah, but… why?"

Amy didn't look at him right away. "Because… well, because…" and for a moment, she couldn't speak. The fear inside her had started boiling over, tearing at her confidence and making her shake even worse than she had been before. She was terrified, absolutely frightened to tell him the truth because at that moment, he had every right to shove it back in her face. If he felt like it, he could have walked off in the other direction mid-speech, could have simply shrugged and replied with his signature _hmph _at her every word. It scared her beyond belief, and for an entire ten seconds, she considered running off in the opposite direction and forgetting the entire thing had ever happened.

But beneath all the fear, all the worry, and all the doubt that was dwelling within her being was that one voice, that single longing to suck it up and just do it. That piece of her that begged her to plainly say it, even if he never even cared in the slightest. She loved him, darn it, and the least she could give to him was the truth. That much, she owed to him.

Even if it did horrify her beyond all belief.

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE, YOU BIG DUMBY!"

Shadow jumped at the sudden volume her voice had taken, along with the others who were watching—Sonic, Sally, Cream, Cheese, and Maria and Shaun, who just gotten out of their car. Where had _that_ come from? How on Mobius had she screamed so loud with such a strained voice? Before Shadow could even think of speaking, Amy continued, her voice just a hint softer the second time around.

"I don't want you to remember everything between us like it was some big mistake! I want you to remember everything that happened, good or bad, like it was worth it! Because no matter what, that's how I'm going to look back on it!"

Shadow's eyes were as wide as dinner plates by that point, but all he could do was watch as Amy continued. Her voice was rough, her body was still quaking, and to Shadow's complete and utter shock, tears had started welling in her eyes.

"And guess what else, Shadow? I'm not letting you go before you understand that I'm sorry! I didn't mean to explode at you that day, and if I could, I'd go back in time and punch myself before I did it! I was terrified about everything that you were telling me, because I knew what it felt like to have my heart broken." Though Shadow didn't look at Sonic right then, he could see the blue hedgehog pull a genuinely sorry shrug in background. "I was scared that you were going to take my heart and crush it in your hand. And you know what? I'm just as terrified right now!"

The Ultimate Lifeform nodded, slowing reaching a hand out as if he was hoping to quiet her a bit. "Amy, there are people star—"

"Don't 'Amy' me, you turd!" She exclaimed, pointing a shaky finger at the hedgehog before he could blink twice. "You big, fat turd! You dumb, stupid, idiotic dumby! Don't you dare '_Amy'_ me when I'm trying to tell you how I feel!"

Shadow's brow knit together, and he opened his mouth to speak—

"I love you, Shadow the stupid Hedgehog!"

But he stopped the moment the words cut through him.

"I've loved since I went to that stupid dance, and I've loved you every moment since! It broke my heart when you ran off, and I can't tell you enough how sorry I am about everything!" She stopped for a moment to cough, the tears and dryness in her throat finally catching up with her. "I know that I can be selfish and shallow and stupid sometimes, but I love you Shadow, and that's not going to change any time sooaaaAGH!"

Before Shadow could even think of moving to catch her, Amy took a step forward and slipped, falling into the puddles with a gasp.

"GREAT! JUST GREAT!" She yelled, her expression angry and heart-broken at the same time. "I can't even say everything to you without falling in a stupid puddle! Ugh, I am such a DWEEB!"

Dweeb? Shadow's brow furrowed for a single moment before Amy took in a deep breath, coughed, and—to his shock—started sobbing into her hands. She was tired, she was past her wits ends, and beyond all that, she was embarrassed. Everyone was staring at them, at her, at Shadow, and now… oh, she had ruined everything. There was no second chance for her. It was all over.

All the girl could do was cry as the eyes of her friends and passerby Mobians watched her, pity and empathy coming from every direction. Oh, why had she even bothered? There was no way on the face of Mobius that Shadow hadn't been embarrassed by Amy's spectacle. If anything, there was no way he should have still been standing in that same spot. If she had been him, she would have shaken her head the moment she had finished talking, grabbed her bag, and walked off.

Oh, why had she been so dumb?

For a long, long time, Shadow was frozen in his spot, his eyes glued to the girl on the pavement. Her cheeks were burned red out of humiliation, her body was still trembling from the adrenaline pumping through her heart, and her legs were bent at an awkward angle because of the way she had fallen. She was in an awful, miserable state, and at the moment, she looked so completely and utterly frail that it was almost sad. The girl was helpless, tired, and heart-broken… but it was all of those things that moved Shadow towards her.

He wasn't slow in his stroll; neither was he rushing towards her at mach five. Instead, he was silent, walking tall and proud, his hands by his side and the bracelet that hit him in the back of his head still in his right hand. All eyes were on him when he reached the girl, stared down at her for a single moment, then kneeled down, his gaze kind and firm at the same.

She didn't notice that he was kneeling right by her until he grabbed her left wrist, pulling it towards him so softly that her heart skipped a beat in shock.

"I've never once lost my bracelets, Amy Rose." Shadow told her quietly, slipping the golden jewelry onto her left wrist as she watched with wide, unbelieving eyes. "Never."

Taking her hand in his, Shadow took in a deep breath, Amy looking up as he spoke. "So long as you have that on, you and I are going to be inseparable. Do you understand that, Amy? Inseparable. Nothing's ever going to get in-between us." His eyes then met hers, and without a single warning, a jolt was sent throughout Amy's entire being. "Nothing."

All at once, she felt everything hit her in full like a brick wall. It was almost a literal force that struck her, and it made a choked sort of cry escape from her lips as she looked at him and tried to smile. Instead, though, she found herself tearing up, and without a second thought, she threw herself at him. "Shadow!"

Her arms wrapped around him in full force, and to her surprise, she found that suddenly, his were around her in return. He… he… he…

"Shadow," She cried, choking on the sobs that had returned to her in full within seconds. "I'm s-so sorry. I didn't mean t-to… I didn't w-want you to…"

Shadow merely smiled and pulled her closer, chuckling quietly as the girl cried. "It's alright, Amy. Everything's alright."

For a few moments after that, the two simply sat there, waiting for the girl's cries to cease as the man held her close. The sounds of honking horns, the roar of planes soaring over head, the pitter-pattering of the rain crashing into the pavement, and the far off chattering of other Mobians and humans accompanied her cries, but soon enough, they became the only sounds present. The girl's sobs ceased, and finally, she was at peace.

Silently and carefully, the black hedgehog stood up, pulling his companion onto her feet in the process. Neither of them said anything, their gazes fixed firmly on one another as if they were the only ones in the world, as if they were the only ones that had ever mattered (and at that moment, they were).

_She's my happiness. _Shadow eventually thought, his brow furrowing together as he watched her, his heart swelling while his breathing deepened. _And from here and forever onwards, I am hers._

"Shadow, I—"

And before she could even think of what to say, how to finish his sentence, what exactly it was that she was going to tell him in the first place, the black and red hedgehog pulled her close and kissed her.

It sent Amy's heart racing and is stole the breath right from her lungs, but in no was it perfect. For one thing, she was freezing, and for another thing, she was still shaking. Tears and mascara were still streaming down her face and her eyes were wide open in shock, but even with everything that was wrong with it, it felt so right to her because it was her first kiss.

No.

It was _their _first kiss.

And that was what made everything worth it.

Her eyes sliding to a close and her heart settling, Amy gently wrapped her arms around Shadow. It was so wonderful, so astonishing, and so—

"Ow, ow! You go, girl! Kiss your man!"

Crazy. So not what she had planned when she was a little girl, and not anything like she had ever imagined it to be in her fairytale daydreams… but exactly what she had needed. It was everything to remind her that she loved Shadow, and that he was what everything she wanted in life. He was what she _really_ wanted. A friend, a teaser, a listener, a fighter, someone who wasn't perfect… but someone who was perfect to her.

He was hers.

When the two pulled away, soft smiles adorning both of their faces as their foreheads touched together, Amy couldn't help but laugh. The tears that had been staining her face had been replaced with ones of joy, as well as a thought that filled her with inexplicable excitement.

"Is loved by Amy Rose."

The expression on Shadow's face was one of pure confusion at first, but when it clicked in his mind, he smiled and laughed along with her. "Is in love with Amy Rose."

She grinned right back at him, her heart leaping for joy when she repeated the words back to him. "Is in love with Amy Rose."

Shadow nodded at her, and with that, the two laughed again.

"Woo-hoo, yeah, go team! Yay for the happy couple!" The same voice from before cried out, causing the two to pause their giggles and turn on the spot. "Encore, encore!"

Most of the group watching—Maria, Shaun, Sally, Cream, and Cheese—had been content with simply smiling for the two, but Sonic had decided to take it to the next step and full-out cheer for the two.

"Beautiful, wonderful show! Better than The Notebook, heck, you put Titanic to shame! Simply marvelous!"

Amy giggled at the goofiness of her friend as a result, while Shadow merely rolled his eyes. Sally quickly elbowed the hedgehog in the ribs, silencing him long enough for Amy and Shadow to look at each other again.

"So," Amy giggled, "How many words do I have now?"

Shadow smiled, patting her head as he chuckled. "Let's just say that I owe you a cookie, Miss. Rose."

Amy grinned at Shadow, laughed, and from the background, Sonic cried out, "I want one too!" before looking at Sally, winking, and adding, "See, I told you I knew what I was doing."

* * *

><p>Hooray! XD Woo-hoo, encore, go team, go! Yay! :D It's all happy now! YAY! XD<p>

This is by far, the longest chapter of Glass Rose I have ever written. :) I hope you guys liked it! ^-^

Thanks to Rouge the Batgirl, Project Shadow, ShadowEmpress76, Lightning rose, xXTwIlIgHt ThE wOlFXx, Blackpetals23, Shadamyrose3, and Parker117 for the reviews! And thank you to all the quiet readers as well! And to answer xXTwIlIgHt ThE wOlFXx's question from earlier, I have no problem if you save a copy of this story onto notepad. :)

And here's something cool: today is my two year anniversary since I joined ! Coolio! :D

Thank you, everyone, for reading! The next chapter of Glass Rose is going to be the very last one, and I hope you'll be looking forward to it! Until next time!


	30. Romeo and Juliet Have Nothing on Us

** Chapter 30: Romeo and Juliet Have Nothing on Us**

"They honestly didn't have a problem with you switching flights so suddenly?"

The words, soft and full of innocence, pulled Shadow from his thoughts as he laid in the sun, his black jammer swimming suit on and a pair of sunglasses resting upon his face.

"Right?"

Sitting up off the beach chair, Shadow looked at the girl who was sitting in the sand, her eyes curious, careful, and caring all at the same time. She was wearing a white v-neck swimming-suit that was covered in blue polka-dots and completed with a ribbon that wrapped itself just below her chest. It was identical in every way to the one Maria had let her borrow several weeks ago, but the one she was wearing was hers (given as a gift only a day ago). It complemented her figure, accenting the subtle curves her body had yet to grow into.

A smile was lighting up her features as she stared at him, and it caused Shadow to grin back at her as he pulled the sunglasses off his face. "I already told you, Amy." He chuckled while he pulled himself off the chair and into a standing position. "They were more than happy to help me reschedule my flight, especially since I decided to bring a few others along."

Amy nodded, taking a step back when Shadow stretched and yawned. "I know, I know, but still! Didn't they at least ask you about it? Did they get… well, you know, curious? Maybe a bit reluctant to help you out because it was so last minute?" Shadow raised an eyebrow at her, and she cried out in defense, her voice light and happy all the same. "What? I'm just wondering!"

Shadow released a simple, "Ha," and nodded. "They wouldn't even consider second-guessing me, Amy. With the ranking I currently hold, they were more than happy to pull a few strings for me."

"That's true…" Amy hummed, folding her arms as her brow knit together. "G.U.N.'s the military of the country, and since you're way up there…"

The black hedgehog chuckled, "Working it all out in your head, Amy?"

She huffed jokingly, pushing him lightly before she placed her hands on her hips, causing Shadow to laugh at her. "I'm trying to figure out how much power you actually have. Just in case you ever try to over-throw the government or something."

He cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Over-throw the government?"

Amy nodded, "Yeah, over-throw the government. I could see you doing it one day, probably in the name of all that's good and stuff like that." She paused, narrowing her eyes. "Or maybe just so you could wear a fancy cape and tiara."

Shadow laughed and shook his head. "Amy, you have a _very_ active imagination."

Her eyes meeting his, Amy flashed Shadow a toothy grin. "Of course I do! If I didn't, would I still be me? And speaking of which," She started, her voice picking up in volume and excitement as she turned towards the shore where a small group of friends were gathered. "How's it going, you guys? Is it almost ready?"

"Just about!" Cream sang in reply, glancing back at the two for just a moment. "We're just adding one more tower, then it will be finished!"

"Chao, chao!" Cheese quickly added.

Amy smiled, turned to Shadow, and nodded. "Come on!" She exclaimed, grabbing her hand as she ran off.

He grinned in return, trailing closely behind as she led the way towards the group

As true as Shadow had spoken moments before, he had indeed brought several others along with him on his little vacation. After accepting his invitation, Cream, Cheese, Maria, Shaun, and Amy had packed their bags and boarded the plane with Shadow to visit the Star Islands. It had required a bit of convincing to reassure them he could pay for the whole trip (as well as tell Vanilla that Cream would be accompanied by Amy _and _another female adult), but once they had gotten past all that, they had gladly decided to come along.

"Some of the towers don't look quite right." Maria sighed as her brow knit together, her shoulders slumping in disappointment at the sorry sight. "Everything's crumbling. Turning into _dust_."

Shaun nodded in agreement, "We probably should have used wetter sand like we did at first. It might have actually stood that way."

"Yeah, that would have helped. An extra pair of hands would have also been great!"

Shadow and Amy reached the group the very moment those words left Maria's mouth, and before she could add another comment, Amy knelt down by them. "Well, if Sonic and Sally would have accepted the invitation, then you guys would have definitely had the help you needed!"

Shadow soon joined them, speaking in a calm voice as he sat down. "It's alright that they didn't come. According to Sally, Knothole was still in pretty rough shape last time they were there and apparently in dire need of repairs too. If she's right, the two of them don't exactly have the time to lally-gag around, even if that _is_ Sonic's specialty."

"Speaking of Mr. Sonic," Cream supposed aloud, her voice taking on a curiosity that captured everyone's attention. "Why was he acting so strange when he came to Amy's house? He was acting like he didn't know any of us!"

Amy nodded in agreement with Cream, but before she state her idea, Shadow beat her to the punch. "He decided that he was willing to give something valuable up in order to save that which was most important to him. Equivalent exchange, you might say."

The group turned him in unison inquisitively, but Amy spoke first. "Did you just quote an anime on us?"

Shadow's gaze was blank for a few moments before he snapped back into reality and turned to face Amy. "Maybe I did, Amy Rose. What are you going to do about it if I did?"

The girl grinned a malicious, toothy smile, and Shadow merely returned her look with a raised eyebrow.

"See," Shaun sighed, throwing his hands behind his head with a big stretch, "This is why it's okay that those other two didn't come along. Do you know how hard it would be for Cream," He stated, pointing towards the young girl, "to get a word in if there was another couple here? Everyone would be flirting so much that all she'd be able to do was watch!"

Cream giggled at the sheep's words. "I don't think I'd mind too much. It doesn't bother me when people flirt in front of me!"

Maria raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?" Cream nodded, "Then would you mind if I asked if _you _like anyone, Cream?"

"Chao, cha—"

The girl quickly clamped a hand over her pet's mouth, shaking her head rapidly as she nervously cried out, "I don't like anyone, sorry Maria! I'm still—"

"Actually!" Amy chimed in, her voice light and full of a funny sort of pride. "Cream's had her eye on a certain young man for quite some time!"

Maria cooed, and Cream's cheeks burned red as she swallowed. "Really, now? Ohhh, what's his name?"

"He's not—"

"It starts with a 'T.'" Shadow stated, his voice sure, sturdy, yet filled with an undeniable under-tone of teasing.

"And it ends with a 'ails!'" Amy exclaimed, laughing as her friend's cheeks turned even redder.

Maria gasped, and Cream's eyes widened. "Oh, that boy that always travels around with Sonic? That's adorable!"

Cream groaned in embarrassment, burying her face behind the body of her chao that was trying to add his own two cents to the conversation.

"Chao, chao chao chao, chao chaaaao chao chao!"

The rabbit gasped at her pet's words. Or, uh, babbles.

"Cheese!" She exclaimed in shock, everyone laughing at her in the process. "Ohhh, you better sleep with one eye open tonight, Amy, because I'll be coming for you!"

Amy sent an innocent grin at her friend, complete with batting eyelashes and her hands clasped together as if she was in prayer. Oh, Amy was _really_ going to get it later.

"Alright Amy," Shadow eventually cut in, causing Amy to blink, end her silly little gaze, and turn back to face Shadow. "Are you ready to try it out?"

She stared at him for a few moments before smiling and hastily nodding. "Yeah!"

The hedgehog grinned at her, and with that, the group turned to face their sand castle. Well, their sand _piles_ to be precise.

The highly anticipated structure that Amy had been waiting so long for consisted of several towers that were crumbling at each corner and post, walls that were simply stacked piles of wet sand, and a body in the center that just looked like a big pile of… well, sand. It wasn't anything fancy or pretty to look at, but to put it simply, it _did _look like an average sand castle. That had been exactly what Amy had been hoping for.

"Okay," Amy sighed as she sat up a bit straighter on her knees, stretching her hands out towards the castle. "It's all about taking in the natural chaos energy around me, right? By channeling that energy, I can shift the elements around me and control whatever force I desire, so long as I have enough power to do so."

Shadow nodded in approval, "That's correct."

"Alrighty then," She said, exhaling. "Here goes nothing. Chaos form!"

When the words freed themselves past Amy's lips, the sand began to slowly sift itself, making her eyes widen and her heartbeat speed up. She was doing it; she was actually making the sand move!

"Don't lose your concentration, Amy. Focus."

But she couldn't get too excited just yet. "Right," She spoke, nodding as she knit her brow together. "Focusing!"

She urged the particles of wet sand to move faster, to pull themselves into the shape she was imagining in her head. _Come on, go! Stop being so slow! _No matter how much she wanted them to go, though, the grains refused to move much faster. They simply made their way across the beach like they were ants that could do whatever they wanted as slow as they pleased…

Frustration soon took hold of the girl. Ugh! Why couldn't she just get it? It was so annoying! "Hurry up!" Amy exclaimed, clamping her eyes shut as she forced as much energy as she could into the chaos incantation. "Just go and—bleaaaa."

She released the grasp as soon as dizziness graced her, opening her eyes in the process. "Okay, bad idea, bad ideaaaaow." Pausing mid-word to gap at the upside-down, crudely built sand castle that had suddenly pulled itself together, Amy hummed. "Whoops."

The structure collapsed before anyone could put another word in, leaving Amy with a somewhat saddened expression. "Aww, I was so close!"

"Except for it being up-side-down." Shaun added, snickering.

Amy nodded, "Okay, so I messed up on that, but that's it!" She shot back, her head whipping towards Shadow. "It wasn't awful for a first try, was it?"

The black hedgehog merely smirked, folding his arms while he sighed and nodded. "No, it wasn't too bad. It just wasn't great either."

Amy sighed and hung her head in shame, and just as she admitted defeat, Shadow quickly added, "But it was better than most people would have done."

She looked back up at him, a smile gracing her face. "So I'll be able to get it down?"

He grinned, glancing off to side in the process. "Eventually. So long as you listen to your teacher, that is."

She giggled, "Well it's a good thing that my teacher's cute then, huh?"

Maria, Cream, and Cheese all giggled and smiled at Amy's words, while Shaun simply rolled his eyes. Girls, sometimes.

* * *

><p>The sun had just started dipping into the ocean over the horizon, and a light breeze sailed across the beach. Sea gulls off in the distance cried out, sailing through the orangey-yellow twilight so calmly that for a moment, all Amy could do was stare at them as she stood there in her spot. She was captivated by the sunset, by the sounds of the planet that was gradually falling into its slumber, by the silence that was descending around her. It was so soft and peaceful that, even while she was standing up, it nearly lulled her to sleep. It pulled her into that quiet realm between reality and dreaming, and for a quite a bit, it kept her from realizing that someone was calling for her.<p>

"Amy! Amy, are you even there? Hellooooo?"

After a few moments, though, the light-switch in her head was snapped on, causing Amy to quickly shake her head and turn to face the voice, struggling for a moment to move because of the heavy bag that was resting on her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, I spaced."

Maria only beamed at her, a bag like Amy's over her shoulder and a pair of shorts on over the swimming suit she was still wearing. "I can tell." Amy grinned sheepishly at her in response, and Maria chuckled. "We're going to start heading back to the hotel. You can go fetch Shadow if you want. Sound good?"

Amy nodded in response, and with that, Maria smiled and turned. "See you back at the hotel!"

The girl watched Maria walk off until she caught up with the other three, instantly chatting along with them once she was by their sides. Her voice was light and care-free as they strolled onwards, causing a soft smile to grace Amy's face in the process. Oh, she was so glad that Maria and Cream had hit it off. She had been hoping for the two of them to get along, and thanks to their sweet dispositions, they had become friends without a hint of trouble. No lack of trust, no disagreements that would have put them at odds got in their way; just Cream and Maria getting along as if they had known each other their entire lives.

A light laugh at her lips, Amy smiled and turned back around, her eyes washing over the beach as she took in a deep breath. Now, where exactly had Shadow ran off to? He couldn't have gotten too far…

"Ah ha!" Amy exclaimed in a quiet voice, her eyes settling upon the hedgehog who was walking the length of the beach in his shoes and gloves, his swimsuit long since put away. "There you are! You can't hide from me!"

Without another word or thought, Amy took off down the beach, a grin that couldn't be hidden taking over her face as she sprinted. The black hedgehog's gaze was far-off and contemplative as he wandered, his eyes occasionally flicking up towards the water when the waves flipped up to lick at the soles off his shoes. He was thoroughly distracted by the world around him and the thoughts devouring him, which left him right open for a good pounding.

_There's no way he's going to even see it coming! _Amy thought, grinning mischievously, her heart picking up in speed. _He's going to be so surprised! _She nearly giggled at the thought, but she kept it in since she was only a feet away from him at that point.

_Three, two, one, and_—

But to her astonishment, the Ultimate Lifeform suddenly turned, his eyebrows raised as if he was only slightly surprised by her actions. "Oh," He said, taking a very clean step off to the right just as she would have crashed into him. "Hello, Amy."

Amy gasped, "Shad—" lost her balance because of the great leap she had taken, "Wah!" and tripped on her own foot, landing face-first in the sand with a loud, "OOF!"

Shadow's eyes widened at the sight, "Oh dear, my bad." And he quickly made his way over the girl's side, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her up the moment he was there. "Are you alright, Amy?"

Rather than cry or let her cheeks burn red in embarrassment, Amy laughed out loud once she was back on her feet. "Oh heck, what a klutz! I didn't mean to do that! I'm such a clown!" She exclaimed, turning to Shadow while she brushed herself off. "Aren't I?"

When her eyes fell back upon Shadow, she was a bit surprised to see that he wasn't smiling or laughing along with her. His gaze was distant instead, almost empty as he stared at her, studying her features. A soft frown was resting upon his lips, and for a single moment, it made Amy nervous. Was… was he okay?

She didn't ask it right away, but eventually, Amy freed her query. "Are you alright?"

He stared blankly for a moment, blinking suddenly and shaking his head before he looked her in the eye. "Hm?" She didn't say anything to him, but simply sent him a worried stare. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

She tilted her head to the side, her worry fading a bit. "What about?"

Shadow looked off over the water again, silent for a few seconds before he absent-mindedly told her, "Stuff."

Stuff, huh? Just as Amy was about to ask him about what kind of "_stuff_" he could have been thinking about, Shadow looked her in the eye, his gaze suddenly very sturdy and strong as he stretched his hand out to her. "Come with me."

The girl, in awe of the sudden change that had over-came him, had no words. She had no idea how he managed to go from such a quiet person to someone who was blazing with passion within seconds. It blew her mind every single time, but never once did she think of questioning it. Not even right then as she grabbed his hand and followed him down the beach.

He was still silent as they walked onwards, and Amy followed suit by keeping her mouth shut. She never even thought of speaking while they walked, instead letting her eyes wander over the sand and the water. Her thoughts began to roam as they walked, and slowly, silly little things began to drift into her mind.

_Did I ask anyone to water my plants? _

_I wonder if we'll go to that one restaurant tomorrow. _

_What's on Shadow's mind?_

_Why do those little soaps at the hotels always smell like oranges? _

But as to be expected, her mind eventually trailed back to that one idea in particular, that one thing that had been plaguing her the moment Shadow had looked at her.

_What's he thinking? _

Within the silence, Amy was able to steal a glance at him without him noticing. His brow was knit together in concentration, in deep thought, in reflection of some sort, and it fueled the curiosity that had taken her hostage. What was going on his mind? Why was he being so quiet? Was he thinking about something bad that had happened, something that made him mad? Was it about her? Was it her fault?

Amy swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh, please not have it be—

"Amy Rose," Shadow said, nearly laughing as Amy turned to him. "Don't tell me you're worrying again."

The girl's eyes widened a bit, and she simply opened her mouth. "No. I'm just wondering why you're being so—"

"Because there's nothing for you to worry about. I love you, Amy, and that's not going to change any time soon."

Her heart fluttered at his words and her cheeks burned red, causing a soft smile to find a place on her lips. She smiled, a calm taking her as Shadow stopped walking, grabbing both of her hands as he readjusted his position so he was standing directly in front of her.

"Don't you know that by now?" Shadow whispered, softly letting his lips touch her forehead. "Don't you believe me?"

A laugh, happy, care-free and complete, slipped past Amy's lips as she closed her eyes. "Of course I do, Shadow. I believe you, and I always will."

The black hedgehog nodded, bestowing a quick kiss to her forehead before pulling back and taking a good look at her. She was the girl who had fallen for him, the girl that had captured his heart, the girl who had changed everything. So strange she was at times, so much joy she felt for such silly things… so happy she was to simply be alive. She was so many things, so many crazy, silly, wonderful things, but more than anything else, she was his.

And that was what made his world complete.

He gifted her with a quick peck on the lips—just a short little kiss—but it was enough to make her heart race all the same. She opened her eyes the moment it had finished, nearly laughing at him in the process.

"You're so bashful, Shadow."

Rolling his eyes, he pulled the bag off her shoulder, placing it on his own as he grabbed her hand yet again. "Well so are you."

Amy smiled in response, and she laughed. "That's just fine with me. We'll get over it eventually, won't we?"

Shadow replied with a short, "Yeah," nodding towards her as they turned and began their trek back to the hotel, hearts beating and heads held high.

* * *

><p>Amy's house, empty excluding the furniture, plants, and other knick-nacks that were strewn about, was as quiet as could be. Peaceful in the night that had descended upon it an hour earlier, the air within the house was tranquil and still, calm without any creatures to disturb it. A day ago, the girl who lived there had packed up her bags and headed out the door for another trip, leaving enough time for the house to settle into itself and let silence claim it. It was completely and utterly peaceful… until suddenly, the air began to shift.<p>

It started to swirl and spin, to turn and twist at such a speed that some of the lighter objects in the house began to toss around. Several papers fell from their resting spots, a bag of opened Cheetos shuffled on the counter, and a pile of broken glass on the table began to twitch.

At first the shards only occasionally shuddered, barely even shook as the breeze fluttered through the home. It seemed as for a moment that someone was merely shaking the table in an attempt to make the glass spread itself out, to flatten itself the pile on the table, but all at once, the glass lit up.

A flash of light flared, bright and warm and strong, lasting for only several seconds before it died off. The air became still once it stopped, and suddenly, everything was calm once more. At a first glance it appeared as if nothing had changed, as if someone had simply flicked a fan on and off. Everything in the house remained the same—everything expect the pile of glass on the table.

Or the lack of.

Sitting in its place, its petals in full bloom and its leaves stretched out, was the glass rose, tinted red and in flawless condition. Not a single crack spider-webbing over its body, not a petal wilted; the rose appeared as if it had never been damaged in the first place. It was perfect, it was beautiful, and it was wonderful, but it was not alone.

Directly next to the flower, its leaves and petals brushing against the first one, was another glass rose, slightly smaller than the first and tinted pink rather than red. It, like the first rose, was also in full bloom, sporting tiny thorns that were dwarfed in comparison to the size of its shining petals. Petals that were stretching themselves out as if they were breathing, as if they were taking their first breath itself…

_"You're so bashful, Shadow." _

_ "Well so are you." _

The roses suddenly perked up a bit more, if that was even possible by that point.

"_That's just fine with me. We'll get over it eventually, won't we?"_

_ "Yeah." _

And together, they bloomed brighter and stronger than either one could have done on its own.

His heart had healed, and hers had become a part of it in the process.

** The End**

* * *

><p>On August 15th, 2011, I posted the very first chapter of Glass Rose right here on Fanfiction. Today, exactly two years later, I present to all of you the last chapter of story, and what an adventure this has been!<p>

I'm so grateful to everyone that has joined me, Shadow, and Amy on this journey. :D It's been such a blast being able to share this story with everyone! XD It's been absolutely wonderful!

Thanks to Rouge the Batgirl, brave kid, Wicked Pumpkin, Shadamyrose3, Sonadilver1404, the Guest reviewer, Lightning rose, mnhgdsht, xXTwIlIgHt ThE wOlFXx, ShadowEmpress76, musicalocelot, Project Shadow, Savvy0417, Blackpetals23, LordCooler, and Parker117 for all the reviews last time! Thanks to all of you who have been silently following this story, who have favorited it, and who have simply read this story! ^-^

A very special thanks goes out to ShadowEmpress76 for following this story since it started, and to LordCooler and Project Shadow for being regular reviewers! The support and feedback you guys have given to me has meant so much, and I'm so happy that you all enjoyed this story! :D ** THANK YOU! ** XD

Now, what's next for this goofball, Espionage247? I'm planning on eventually writing a Shadamy one-shot as a follow up to this story (not quite a sequel), and I'll be writing various other Shadamy one-shots over time. :) I'm currently working on two other stories, known as A Hero and His Princess and Fragile. If any of you like Sonsal/Sonally, feel free to check either of them out! :) (And if you just want to give that pairing a chance, you can do that as well. XD) There may be a sequel to this story in far-time future, but as of now, I have quite a few other projects I'm currently working on. XD

And with all that being said, I now leave you with the fully completed Glass Rose. :D I do plan to go back and edit things some day, but for now... it is finished!

Espionage247 out! Until next time! :D


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